Kagome Kagome (Rewrite of A Miko of Her Own Kind)
by Shurokami
Summary: When a strange mark shows up on Kagome's cheek in the shape of a star, Kagome realises that an old childhood game may have more in common with her than just a name. Just what has her mother been hiding from her for all of these years?
1. Bitten

A/N: I'm back! I apologise for my extended absence, but I'll try to make it up to everyone. I reread 'A Miko' a while back and was appalled by the writing. So, I've decided to rewrite it, and where better to start than chapter one? The chapters will finished off in different places, although the gist of the original chapter will be included in the revised version. Enjoy!

* * *

 _ **Sixteen Years Earlier**_

* * *

Her pulse was racing.

Blurry trees raced past her as her young eyes darted back and forth. The wind whistled through her ears and frost nipped at her cheeks. The only thing keeping her from falling was the warm maiden who held her protectively to her bosom. Moonlight flashed here and there as she got a glimpse of her protector, a frown marred on the elder's face. The little girl could feel the fear and heartbreak radiating from the stoic figure, her own little heart breaking at the sight. The woman looked down as her precious cargo whimpered, a melancholic smile creeping to her face.

"Hush now, little one. We'll be there soon." With a nod from the cherub-faced girl, barely three summers old, Yuri turned back to look at the road, her grip tightening on the beast below her. Loss erupted from the older woman, washing over her in waves. It just wasn't fair…

The beast below her growled. He was an impressive sight. Standing a good 20 feet tall he took the shape of a wolf-dog. His eyes were a ferocious violet that gleamed as the moonlight hit his face. A jagged star shaped scar ran from his jawline to the bridge of his muzzle. Powerful muscles rippled as he continued the sprint to their destination, careful not to jar his companions nestled in his midnight fur too much for fear of them falling.

The beast slowed to a halt in a clearing, a silent understanding between it and the human as Yuri slid off of its back. Slowly, painfully almost, fur started to recede from the beast as it shrunk in size. Its snout receded into that of a human face as hair replaced fur and the scar receded and changed color against his pearly skin to form a smaller black star just under the center of his right eye. It moved to stand from four legs to two. Its canines shrank to fit in that of an almost-human mouth. By the time the transformation as finished, the only things that would give away that the now human-like beast was anything supernatural were the elvish ears hidden by a black mane of hair and the bushy, midnight tail protruding from his rear. The young man stood tall in front of the younger woman. He looked down at her softly, his violet eyes piercing the night.

"We don't have much time, Yuri. He could be here any moment." A nod came from the maiden as she gripped her small bundle closer to her chest. The child was wrapped in rags, almost completely hidden from sight. To any onlooker, she would be nothing more than a parcel. She quickly looked down at the small girl to see the same violet eyes as the man before her staring inquisitively up at her. Tears sprung to her eyes as she looked back at the demon.

"Come with us. Please, my love, I cannot bear the thought of you alone." The demon sighed and shook his head, his own sadness matching his wife's. He looked down to his daughter, her doe-eyes red and puffy from crying.

"You know I cannot, koishii. Someone must stay behind to protect the village. Now, quickly! I sense something approaching." He walked closer to his mate and child, embracing both in a tight hug. He knelt down slowly to meet the pup's eyes and smiled at her. "You must be brave, little pup. Be your mother's strength when she has none. Love her enough for both of us every day. I _will_ see you again. I promise you, even if it takes 500 years I will find you and your mother again." Her eyes started to water again as she flung herself at her Papa. The rags fell around her and her own demonic features were bare for the quiet forest to see. Tiny little triangular ears focused on the man before her as her own tiny bushy tail tried desperately to tuck itself between her legs.

"Please don't make us go, Papa! I'll be good, I promise!" She cried into his armour as the youkai's heart broke all over. It was all he could do to keep himself from caving in. Despite his daughter's tight grasp on his person, he wrenched himself from the hanyou and handed her back to her mother.

"I'm sorry, koinu, but I have to." He turned to his mate, a pleading look in his eye. "It is time. She mustn't remember a thing, Yuri." With a nod Yuri closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to the pup's, forcing the young one to look at her mother.

"Shh, it's time to sleep, little one." Suddenly, the hanyou became very drowsy, her eyelids heavy with sleep. Within a few moments she was deaf to the world, and Yuri made to cradle her as if she were an infant. Maneuvering the pup to rest within one arm, she then grabbed a small trinket from her kimono, and placed it over the pup's head. Almost immediately the hanyou's features receded into that of a normal human's. Her ears travelled down to the sides of her head, her tail receded into that of a human's tailbone, losing all of its fur and shrinking from sight. On her cheek, her own star-shaped black mark disappeared, leaving her skin as soft and smooth as a baby. Yuri looked back up to her mate, letting one last tear fall down her face. "She won't remember you…"

Another sad smile lingered on the young man's face. "It is better this way. Now, go!" She gave her love a passionate kiss goodbye, and then turned to the fruit of their journey; the Bone Eater's well. Without looking back, Yuri jumped in, knowing she would never be allowed back again.

* * *

Mama Higurashi sighed for the umpteenth time as her daughter and the hanyou Inuyasha argued upstairs, their voices loud enough to alert the entire neighborhood to their plans.

"Dammit, Kagome! Are you ready yet? You've been back from your studies for hours already!"

"Haven't you ever heard of patience you baka?! And here I thought you might want some ninja food this time around!" Inuyasha muttered something incoherent to Yuri's ears, although it must have been offensive. Her daughter quickly followed with a gasp and a quick 'sit!' The young man stood no chance against those prayer beads; the resounding thud ended up shaking the entire house. Not two minutes later, the young miko marched down the stairs and headed straight for the well house. Kagome stopped just before entering the old structure and turned back towards the house, as if she had forgotten something important.

"Bye, Mama! I'll see you in a week!" With a quick farewell to her mother, Kagome entered the well house and the next thing Yuri knew a blue light emitted from it, signalling her daughter's departure.

"A week!? Damn it wench, the jewel shards are more important that your test thingies!" Muttering curses under his breath the young man flew down the stairs, stopping in the kitchen before following his companion. He gave Mama Higurashi a long look, and his brows creased. "Oi, you okay?" He followed Kagome's mom's gaze to the well house and smirked. "Keh. She'll be alright. I won't let anything happen to her."

Mama Higurashi just smiled and patted Inuyasha's cheek. "I know you will. Now go, before she comes back looking for you." The hanyou smiled and left, running and jumping into the well to disappear from this era. Yuri hadn't had the heart to tell the young boy that it wasn't concern that marred her face. Silently, she went back to the dishes.

* * *

Two days later, Inuyasha and Kagome found themselves on the road by themselves. Miroku and Sango had taken Kirara and Shippo with them to exorcise a youkai to the north, while Kagome and Inuyasha heard word of a youkai attack to the west. Both parties had agreed to meet up at Kouga's den when they were finished. From there, they would work on an attack plan to take on Naraku. The trip together so far had been pleasant, although it had been ages since Kagome and Inuyasha had travelled together alone. They were about a days' journey from the village, and Kagome longed for a bath. She hoped Inuyasha would be inclined to give in to her wants. The wind shifted slightly as they walked, blowing Kagome's hair away from her face. It would have been a pleasant moment, if Inuyasha's nose hadn't started twitching. He let out a low growl and grabbed for his sword, motioning for Kagome to get behind him. She quickly fell in behind him drawing an arrow from her quiver and knocking her bow as his ears stayed trained on the trees ahead of them.

" _Shardssssss of the Ssssshikon no Tama…. Give them here!"_

A snake youkai jumped out of the foliage and darted towards Kagome. It was too fast for the hanyou or the miko to react, and made a move to snap its jaws at Kagome's neck. Inuyasha's head whipped around in horror as Kagome stood there frozen.

"Kagome!"

On instinct Inuyasha grabbed Kagome to pull her away, but not before the snake had managed to get close enough to graze her skin. Kagome felt a pull at her neck as the necklace she wore snapped. Immediately her hands went to her neck, finding the necklace gone. She would have to worry about it later she guessed. As soon as Inuyasha put her down a safe distance away she knocked her arrow again and aimed for the jewel shard on its forehead. Inuyasha didn't even have time to swing his sword before the arrow hit its mark, disintegrating the youkai. It wasn't until he was sure the youkai was gone that he turned around to his companion, fixing a harsh glare on her.

"You idiot! Why didn't you move out of the way?! You have a death wish or something?" Kagome huffed and went to go grab the jewel shard. As soon as she touched the shard it glowed a bright pink, signalling it had been purified. She smiled and tucked it into the jar that held the rest of the shards in her group's possession. With a sigh, she turned back to the irate hanyou.

"It's not like I wanted to have my neck bitten off Inuyasha. He was moving too fast!" Inuyasha moved closer to her, his glare not leaving his face as he got dangerously close. He grabbed her chin and tilted it up to look at her wound. It was puffy and bleeding slightly, but she would be fine. His eyes widened for a second when he dropped her chin, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion after. Kagome failed to notice. "See? I'm fine. Stop worrying so- huh? Inuyasha?"

"What happened to your face?" He was sure he hadn't seen that mark there before that snake youkai showed up. Kagome seemed to be just as confused as he was.

"What? What are you talking about?" Kagome looked around for where she dropped her pack, Inuyasha's confusion worrying her. If it had just been a scratch it wouldn't have caused him alarm. Her only thought would be that the youkai had been poisonous, and that had left discolouration on her face, but she didn't feel any effects if it was poison. She frantically searched her pack, pushing clothing, food supplies and first aid materials aside until she finally shouted in joy and pulled out a small makeup bag. She didn't have much in there, some mascara, lip chap, and a pocket-size mirror, but it was just what she needed right now. She opened the compact mirror to see just what Inuyasha was going on about. There, on her right cheek was a faint star – it almost looked like a tattoo. She touched it in awe, noticing the way her cheek grooved as if the star were an imprint. It was black in colour, and no bigger than the pad of her thumb, but it was there plain as day. She looked to Inuyasha, worry set on her face.

"What's happening?" Inuyasha sniffed the air tentatively. The young woman before him didn't smell of sickness – a smell that usually went hand in hand with poison- but instead gave off a spice-like aroma that hadn't been in her personal mixture of lilacs and vanilla before. This new scent smelled of power, and wasn't all to displeasing to the hanyou's nose as it mixed with Kagome's scent. In fact, it almost reminded him of-

"You-you're changing, Kagome. Whatever that snake did… it's making you youkai." It was then that Inuyasha started to notice other subtle differences in the miko's appearance as her eyes widened to the size of saucers. Her irises held a purple hue to them close to her pupils – almost as if the violet colour was trying to push her normal brown hue out. The pupils themselves were starting to reshape themselves to adjust to the amount of things the girl would be able to see. Her ears held small points at the tips, ever so slowly changing – only time would tell what shape they would take. The more he gazed at her the more it confirmed his statement. Her heartbeat was now deafening in his ears.

"What? But-but how?" Tears started to form in her eyes as thoughts began to swirl in her mind. "I won't be able to go to school anymore. What will Mama think? Souta? Jii-chan? What's going to happen to my miko powers? The jewel?" Another thought appeared in her head as panic started to set it. Faster than she had ever moved she was in front of Inuyasha, grasping both of his hands in between hers, tears freshly falling now. "Inuyasha, who's going to collect the shards? What if I can't see them anymore? I-I have no more purpose here! Please don't send me away! Please!" The red-clad hanyou scoffed.

"Keh. THAT'S what you're worried about, wench? That I would send you away because you can't see the shards anymore?" He quickly gathered Kagome into his arms and held her tight. "How many times do I have to tell you? I need you here with me Kagome, haven't you realized that? Idiot!" He continued to hold her until she stopped trembling, then carefully peeled himself far enough away to look her in the –now almost completely violet- eyes. He was terrified himself of what this meant for the young miko, although not for the same reasons. The demonic spice blended so well with her natural fragrance now that it became quite… intoxicating. He would have to be mindful of that for now. There would be many youkai after her, and none all too keen that she associated herself with a hanyou. They also wouldn't be able to take her into the village anymore. Hiding his own concerns, Inuyasha smirked down at his travelling companion.

"The old hag might know something about what's happened. I'll send word to Miroku and the others to meet us back at the village instead of that flea-bag's den. Maybe Kaede will know something about how to reverse this." The young girl nodded. Kaede would probably be their best bet. And if she didn't know how to fix things at least she was close to the well. She would be able to try to explain things to her mom if all else failed. Both companions turned around, and after gathering her bag, Inuyasha and Kagome started on their long trek back to the village. Before long though, something caught Inuyasha's eye, and he peered behind the miko and gaped.

"K-Kagome? What's that thing moving in your skirt?!" Kagome herself had felt _something_ brushing her behind for a while now, but thought it to be the skirt feeling different with the change. She blushed a deep red and ran off into the bushes to check what exactly had crawled up her skirt. A few short seconds later a shriek was heard coming from her direction. Deciding Kagome's safety was more important than her privacy, Inuyasha flew to her protection – only to discover her a few feet away, her skirt lifted up to reveal her white underwear, and something bushy swaying back and forth. The hanyou gaped and blushed bright red as soon as he realized what he had done. Kagome just stood there in shock, bewilderment written all over her face as she stared at the object.

"I have a tail?!" She looked up from the swaying appendage to see Inuyasha's reddened face and immediately realized her position. Her face instantly matched his shade as she dropped her skirt and shut her eyes to scream. "Ah! Hentai!" Poor Inuyasha didn't even have time to prepare.

"SIT!"


	2. Stung

"Inuyasha?"

The boy in question's ear flicked in acknowledgement before peering in Kagome's direction. They had come to rest for the night a couple of hours ago, and were now patiently waiting for their fish to cook on the blazing fire in front of them. Kagome's knees were tucked under her chin with her now knee length tail wrapped around her feet. Violet eyes glowed eerily in the campfire light. Her hair fell freely, no longer tucked behind her now non-existent human ears, several strands blowing gently with the wind. By nightfall on the first night her ears had travelled to the top of her head, and were now curled similar to a newborn pups. Luckily for the young girl, this meant her hearing had yet to amplify with her now hanyou blood. She glanced at her counterpart out of the corner of her eye. "I never noticed it before… your scent. You smell like the forest after it rains. That smell has always been so calming to me. Mama used to take me and Souta out after it rained at night to watch the stars when we were little." Pink dusted Inuyasha's cheeks. He knew what his scent was like, but the way Kagome described it to him made it seem like it was the most refreshing scent in the world.

"Keh. It's just a scent, Kagome. There's nothing special about it." The girl in question smiled, knowing better than to push it with the irate boy. The truth was that all of the smells now assailing her nose hurt her head; there was just too many new things she was trying to register. Focusing on just Inuyasha's scent helped keep her mind off of everything else. It had a calming effect on her. Suddenly, a thought entered her mind. If Inuyasha's scent smelled like this and had this kind of effect on her…

"Ne, Inuyasha?" She caught his attention again and crept closer. His face was dusted again with a pink tinge, most likely finding her too close. Her nose barely brushed his as she gazed into his eyes, her curiosity alight in her own.

"W-what?" He knew better than to move away, however that didn't stop his cheeks from darkening. Inuyasha gulped audibly, glad for the moment that Kagome couldn't hear his accelerated heartbeat. With her so close, he could almost taste her scent in his mouth – hell, he wanted to taste her.

"What do I smell like to you?" Inuyasha's eyes widened and he felt it hard to breathe in her scent. Damned be the girl's feelings at the moment, if he didn't move away soon he was going to do something that would earn him the biggest 'sit' on the planet. A rustle in the bushes to his left had Inuyasha thanking every deity he could think of as he pushed Kagome away from his face and behind him. "Inuyasha? Wha-" A quick gaze from the boy had silenced her query. She looked down to find her bow and swiftly moved to knock an arrow as Inuyasha grabbed the hilt of Tetsusaiga. Inuyasha took a quick sniff to see if he could discern who was about to walk in to their camp, but the only thing that wafted to his nose was his companion's scent. He growled, not liking the possibility of going in to a fight blind. An idea then popped into the young hanyou's mind as he once again glanced at the girl at his side.

"Kagome, what do you smell besides the forest?" Startled by the question, it took a moment to realize what Inuyasha was asking of her.

"Oh! Um… I can smell the ocean spray, although that's quite a distance from here, and sweat, mixed with incense. It's a very strong incense. There's also a spicy… cinnamon smell?" She looked over at the hanyou and saw him visibly relax. She tilted her head in confusion. Why wasn't he still on guard? She knew if Inuyasha had relaxed it must have been someone they trust, and lowered her bow. No sooner than her arrow was back in its holster, a red blur bolted towards her, only to be stopped mid-air by her red-clad hero. The blur took shape once it was held still enough, and suddenly it all made sense why the hanyou dropped his guard so quickly. A little boy glared angrily at his captor, bright green eyes furious that he had been stopped. His bright red hair was shockingly obvious, and he had tiny paws for feet. Behind him bounced a very fluffy cream tail.

"Inuyasha you jerk! Put me down! I wanna go see Kagome! KAGO-" His wail died in his throat as he gazed over at the girl in question. The boy's eyes widened as his mouth hung open. He took a sniff to make sure he was actually seeing correctly, before glaring back at the hanyou who had a hold on his person. "What. Did. You. DO?" This wasn't the young _human_ girl who normally saved him from Inuyasha. In her place was standing a hanyou. If it weren't for her future-like clothes Shippou was sure he wouldn't have recognised the girl. The kit twisted in Inuyasha's grasp and bit the hanyou's hand hard, being sure to draw blood. His tiny aura flared to life. How dare he! How dare Inuyasha do this to Kagome! The hanyou yelped in surprise, shocked that the kit would go so far as to try to _hurt_ him. The young boy stood in front of Kagome, fixing the older demon with a dark scowl, blood dripping from his tiny mouth as he let out a low but vicious growl.

Kagome had never seen the tiny kit look as dangerous as he did at that moment, and suddenly she was reminded he was just as much of a youkai as any demon they had come across. Inuyasha fixed the kit with his own glare as he held his injured hand, growling himself, but didn't have a chance to reply before the other members of their party arrived. Both the demon slayer and monk noticed the change in their female companion immediately, and turned to Inuyasha with accusing stares.

"You little shit!" Inuyasha moved to grab the young kitsune once again and Shippou reached into his haori to grab his toys, fully prepared to use them on Inuyasha. Kagome watched on in horror before finally coming to her senses, and leapt in front of Inuyasha just before the young kit could pull out his spinning top.

"Shippou, stop!" Kagome's arms stretched out wide as she took on a defensive stance in front of the male hanyou, a pleading look on her face. "It's not what you think! Inuyasha was protecting me!"

"By turning you into a _half-breed_ like him?!" Kagome's eyes widened in horror and gasped as the words flew out of the kit's mouth. He had angry tears streaming down his face. Kagome looked to the late arrivals, pleading for some sort of assistance. Sango merely looked away from the fight, her grasp tightened on her Haraikotsu as her bangs shielded her eyes, clearly siding with the kit. Miroku looked on disapprovingly, although whether the disappointment in his eyes was meant for youkai or hanyou, she wasn't sure. She could feel Inuyasha's glare on her back as well as the hurt rolling off of him. She felt when he turned on his heel and fled, possibly to brood for the rest of the evening. Before the young girl knew it, a growl developed in her throat at her friends. She clenched her fists and felt claws biting into her flesh for the first time.

"Is that what you really think of him, Shippou? You just think of him as a _half-breed_? How many times has he saved you, looked after you, and made sure you had food and a safe place to sleep every night?" She turned to look at her friends, all of them hanging their heads in shame. "You should all be disgusted with yourselves. Inuyasha has done _nothing_ but protect you, all of you. I'll have you know it wasn't his choice that I be a half-demon, a youkai attack did this to me. It's just as shocking and new to him as the rest of you." Feeling she could say no more, Kagome turned and began to follow Inuyasha's scent, hoping she could find some way to console him. She didn't listen to her so-called friends as they begged for her to come back, their now ruined dinner forgotten on the fire.

* * *

Kagome found Inuyasha not too far from the camp they had made earlier. His trail had ended just outside of range of sight of the camp at a rather tall leafy tree. Knowing she could no longer depend on her nose, Kagome now turned to her enhanced sight and looked up, trying to discern how high up in the branches he was.

"Inuyasha?" She saw a rustle in the leaves near the top of the tree and smiled sadly. It always seemed to amaze her just how cruel people could be to her hero just because of his heritage. "I know you're up there, Inuyasha! I will come up there if I have to!" She barely heard his response – a simple 'Keh!' before she smirked. Her tail flicked slightly as she began to plan her route up the tree. If Inuyasha could do it, now so could she. "Alright then, you asked for it! Challenge accepted!" Kagome crouched down, feeling the power surge in her legs before jumping as high as she could. Kagome soared up higher than she had ever before, and realised a little too late that she had overshot her jump. Her eyes went wide as her arms began to flail, trying to find something to grasp on to, accidently letting a shriek of surprise escape her lips. No sooner than she had realised her error she was jerked to a stop. She blinked a couple of times and noticed she was now hanging in mid-air, and cautioned a look up. He looked annoyed at having to save her, but Inuyasha now had her by her forearm, supporting himself up with his other arm.

"You can't just get youki and suddenly assume you can do everything I can, wench." With little effort he hoisted her up onto the branch he was currently standing on before wrapping an arm around her waist and jumping back up to his previous position. Inuyasha then sat with his back to the trunk and crossed his legs, pulling the female hanyou with him. He wrapped his arms tightly around Kagome's waist as he buried his head into the crook of her neck. Kagome blushed at the intimate position, but knew it was probably wiser to just have this moment. Inuyasha inhaled her scent, and the effects were immediate. He felt a wave of calm wash over him, creeping into every joint and muscle. He was left to wonder how he could have ever been so lucky as to come across a creature such as Kagome. He may protect her body, but she protected his _heart_ , and that was something he could never repay. He had heard every word she had said to the kitsune, and to the other two. Not even Kikyou in all of her glory had been able to think of him as anything but a hanyou.

"Thank you, Kagome." It was all that needed to be said. A small smile graced her face as she glanced sideways at him. The girl responded by leaning into his chest, content on just letting him know that she was there. They sat like that for quite some time, long into the night, until they heard a rustle below.

"I-Inuyasha? Kagome?" a tiny voice sounded from the base of the tree. "Can I come up?" Inuyasha growled low but said nothing, and Kagome took that as confirmation he would at least listen to what the kit had to say.

"You may, Shippou." The next thing anyone heard was tiny claws digging in to bark as the kistune made his way up the tree. Once he reached high enough, Shippou jumped to the end of the branch so that he could face both of his hanyou companions. His cheeks were rubbed raw and his eyes were red from tears. His whole demeanor downcast.

"I-I'm sorry Inuyasha. I was just so angry because I thought you had _changed_ Kagome. I thought you had wanted her hanyou… I should have known better. I didn't mean to call you a half-breed. I've never thought of you as anything other than pack. Sango and Miroku are sorry too! They were just shocked and we all jumped to conclusions and…and… I'm really sorry! I'll even let you thwomp me whenever you want to! Please just don't be mad!" Inuyasha's eyes softened. Deep down he knew they didn't mean to hurt him. Kagome however, wasn't going to accept his apology just yet. She huffed and glared at the kit.

"You owe him more than just the ability to give you thwomps, Shippou. Inuyasha gets your ramen from now on. You will go catch your own dinners until I'm satisfied that you've learned your lesson." Inuyasha stared in shock at Kagome. Never in his life had he thought Kagome would be the one to deal out such a severe punishment. "You will also start sleeping by yourself at night. In the next village we will pick you up your own roll." Shippou's eyes went wide as his punishments were dealt. Apparently Kagome would not forgive and forget so easily. He nodded silently. He would prove to both of them that he was sorry. What he had said was unacceptable. With his apology made, Shippou jumped down to leave the two in peace, obviously upset with the outcome, but accepting. Inuyasha hugged Kagome tighter to him.

"You didn't have to do that, you know. I would have been happy being able to hit him over the head whenever I wanted to." Kagome turned to face Inuyasha, leaving all joking aside.

"He needs to learn it's not okay, Inuyasha. What he said about you tonight, I never want to hear it from his mouth again. It's not right." The man just stared in awe of the hanyou before him. She was serious, and she never ceased to amaze him.

"Keh. Try to get some sleep. We'll go see the hag tomorrow." Kagome nodded and smiled as she turned around and leaned back into her hanyou, content with just being in his arms for the night. Within minutes she was fast asleep, never noticing the light kiss Inuyasha lay on her brow.


	3. Slapped

Noise.

That was all she could think about. _Why was there so much noise everywhere? Why hasn't Inuyasha shut them up yet? Didn't they know I want to sleep more?_ Fuzzy black ears scrunched closer to her head, incapable of fully blocking the noise out. A whine escaped her throat and in reflex, strong arms wound themselves tighter around her. She could feel the chest she was leaning against rumble in comfort, something she had felt many times before. She could feel his chin come to rest on the top of her head.

"Go back to sleep, wench. The sun hasn't even risen yet." Kagome cracked a violet eye and glared upwards at her hanyou protector.

"I would if I could, baka. Why is everything so... so… loud?" She could feel him chuckle against her back before his grip loosened and he turned the darker hanyou to face him. Kagome now sat straddling the trunk they had slept on, with her head planted firmly into Inuyasha's chest and hands gripping his thighs for support. She could practically feel his fangy grin.

"Keh. Just focus on my heartbeat. Don't listen to everything, just me." Violet eyes looked up as she pushed herself just slightly off of her protector and smiled.

"Don't tell me the great inu-hanyou Inuyasha is getting soft on me. Be careful, soon you might be composing haikus based on the colour of my eyes." Said hanyou's cheeks began to dust pink as his eyes glazed over with something Kagome wasn't too sure she could decipher.

"Inuyasha?" He swore under his breath as her own hitched. The kamis had chosen that particular moment to make the woman pressed against him the most alluring specimen he had ever seen. Inuyasha could tell that she was still sleepy although her eyes were wide with wonder, her eyelids were fighting to keep themselves propped up with every passing moment. Her hair was a mess, as if she had been rolling around on the ground for a good hour; most likely from sleeping against him all night. Her lips held the tiniest of pouts, the same way they did whenever she asked for five more minutes of sleep – he swore to himself that those lips of hers would be the death of him. He suddenly became hyper aware of their positions and blushed a full shade darker, fully aware that if anyone, _anyone_ , stumbled upon them they would have some explaining to do. "What do you focus on when the world becomes too loud, Inuyasha?" The boy scoffed and turned the little hanyou between his legs back around, pressing his front to her back and wrapping his arms around her once more to keep her from falling.

"K-keh. Go back to sleep, wench. We've got a long day ahead of us." Knowing that the moment was over and that she most likely wouldn't get an answer out of the boy any time soon Kagome sighed and snuggled back in to his embrace. When her breathing finally evened out and her heartbeat slowed to a steady pace, Inuyasha rested his chin on her head and tightened his grip on Kagome slightly. With a sigh and a smile, Inuyasha let his answer to Kagome's question dance with the breeze, disappearing as the sun began to rise over the horizon.

"You."

He didn't see the small smile that grew on the girl's face as she slept.

* * *

"Oi, Kagome, wake up." The girl groaned, flattening her ears down as far as they could go and grumbled incoherently even to Inuyasha's keen ears before nuzzling further into his chest. The hanyou sighed. "C'mon, wench. Miroku and Sango are already up. The sooner we get on the road the sooner we can get back to Kaede's and figure out what the hell happened to you and get you back to normal before the runt kills me." Kagome finally lifted her ears and cracked an eye open.

"I've been thinking… would it be so bad, for me to stay like this?" Inuyasha's eyes widened. Sure, her reflexes would be faster, and if she were to get hurt she would heal more quickly… but could she live with the consequences? She wouldn't be able to go to that school of hers, or be able to stay in her era when everything was over. She would have to live with the whispers he heard at every village they visited, hear the names they would be called, live with the prejudice against hanyou that came with this era. It was one thing for villagers to mock him and stare at him with disgust, but would _he_ be able to handle it if the same were to happen to Kagome?

"Keh. You don't know what you're talking about, wench." And in truth, she didn't. She had no idea what it was like to grow up as a hanyou, to live day in and day out being the most hated breed in existence. He would shelter her from that forever if he could. Let her live as the kind, naïve Kagome he has always known and not turn into the hardened, hurt being he was. "Come on, breakfast is ready." He didn't see the sting in her eyes at his reply but knew his words held more bite than he intended. Without a word, Kagome sat up from her perch and stretched, before looking to see how far of a descent she would have to make. She blinked a couple of times before blanching. They were farther up than she had anticipated. Inuyasha watched her and grinned.

"You want to be hanyou, you're going to have to learn to jump down from a tree like a hanyou." Kagome turned wide, frightened eyes to her silver-haired hero.

"You're kidding, right? I can't jump down from here! I'll break something!" He gave her a smug look before pushing off of their perch, jumping down from branch to branch until he was little more than a speck on the ground below her.

"Lesson number one: bend your knees and look to where you want to go. You're hanyou, a fall from that height won't break anything on you. If I can do it, you can do it. Now hurry up or I'm leaving ya here!" Cursing under her breath, Kagome realized she had no choice. He really would leave her here, and maybe even eat her breakfast as well. With a silent prayer to the kamis and faith that if she were to fall Inuyasha would catch her, Kagome pushed off of the branch and began to fall…

And found herself landing on a branch about 5 feet down with ease.

The girl could not contain her excitement as a laugh escaped her. Quickly, she repeated the process until she was a good 15 feet above the ground, and then to Inuyasha's surprise, she leaped out of the tree to land right next to him. "I did it!" Her companion smirked back at her, not expecting the younger hanyou to immediately bound into his arms, sending both of them tumbling onto the forest floor. A cough from off to the left behind a bush caught their attention as a fierce blush crept onto both of their faces as they realized their position. She was straddling Inuyasha, her breasts pushed tightly against his chest, her skirt rose to just barely cover her underwear. Her hair was still disheveled from sleep. Trying to figure out who made the sound, the young hanyou began to sniff the air. Again, Kagome could smell the sweat and burning incense fragrance from yesterday and inwardly groaned. This would not bode well. Quickly, she tried to disentangle herself from the embarrassed man beneath her.

"Why, I had only come to tell you two that breakfast was ready, but if I had known this was what you two were up to last night I might have waited a bit more!" Inuyasha glared up at the monk as his face darkened in colour.

"Keh. When I get out of this monk, I swear I'll-" The irate hanyou couldn't even finish his sentence before Kagome was up and at Miroku's side, bopping him on the head. She looked furiously embarrassed as she tried to straighten out her hair, grumbling about pesky monks and glaring at the man now clutching his head. Her eyes turned back to Inuyasha, immediately turning from furious plum to a soft violet as a whimper bit the back of her throat.

"Sorry, Inuyasha. I guess I don't know my own strength yet." With a soft 'Keh' Inuyasha rose and dusted the dirt off of his hakama and began to walk back to the campsite. Kagome, interpreting that her apology had been accepted, turned and followed suite.

Miroku was about to follow, but found himself dizzy and hand to sit down. From a short distance, he could hear Kagome yell, "You may want to have Sango-chan check you for a concussion, Miroku-sama!" The poor monk just groaned. Two hanyou in the group was going to be more than he could handle.

By the time Miroku made it back to camp and got checked out, everyone was packed and ready to head back out on the road. This new Kagome unnerved him a bit with her piercing eyes and demonic features. He had never been afraid of the woman aside from the previous night. Sango was in the process of trying to apologize at that moment. It had honestly taken them a while to get over the shock, and yes, they had made the wrong assumptions when they first saw her. They all knew Inuyasha hated being hanyou, there would be no way he would ever wish for Kagome of all people to receive the same kind of discrimination he faced on a regular basis. When he tried to apologize to the silver hanyou however, he merely brushed everything off like it hadn't bothered him.

He saw Kagome moved closer to Inuyasha and wait for the male to kneel down for her to get on his back, but it appeared he would be having none of that now.

"You're running today, wench."

The girl-turned-hanyou gaped at the half-demon before her. "Running? Why can't I just ride on your back like I normally do?" Inuyasha merely smirked, his eyebrows furrowed down and his words came across like a taunt.

"You want to be hanyou, you're going to run like a hanyou. Only weak humans get rides. Let's see how fast you can go. First one to Kaede's gets to use the hot springs first." Kagome's eyes widened in understanding before a matching smirk appeared on her own lips. Inuyasha suddenly felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. No, she wouldn't che-

"Osuwari" A single utterance of that dreaded word and she was off like a rocket, leaving Inuyasha behind in a crater big enough for a small child to swim in. She giggled as she ran, glad for the advantage over her companion. By the time the spell wore off, Miroku, Shippou and Sango were already following behind Kagome on Kirara, and said girl was well off in the distance – Inuyasha knew it would be some time before he caught up.

* * *

It was nightfall when Inuyasha finally entered the old woman's hut. He was grumbling to himself, damning the subjugation beads more than ever. He could hear Kagome giggling, only irking him even further as he tried to focus on the sound of her voice to pinpoint her location. It appeared everyone aside from Kaede was now in the hut, with Kagome chatting happily with Shippou. Once she noticed he had entered the room, she bounded up to the half demon happily, a victory smirk on her face as her tail wagged back and forth. Instead of turning to face her, he glared in her direction, furious amber meeting the young girl's mirthful gaze.

"I see you finally made it, slow poke." The boy growled low before snapping at the wench.

"YOU cheated! You can't just 'sit' me every fucking damn time I catch up, Kagome!" Laughter met his ears. Slowly, he looked around the hut to see everyone had gotten some form of amusement out of his pain. "These beads are supposed to be for protection, wench, not to pummel me into the ground whenever you damn well please! Why don't we get _you_ a set and see how fucking well you handle being sat!" Kagome met his gaze with apologetic eyes as her ears drooped. She knew it was wrong. Still, anger fueled his rant, biting out his last words before stomping out of the hut, "You really are no better than them." The girl winced, that final sentence striking deeper than any insult he had thrown her way before. Tears sprouted to her eyes. She never meant to belittle him, she had only wanted to bathe tonight. She had been having fun at his expense. How could she have been so blind? Instantly, she moved to follow after him, but a hand on her shoulder stopped the new hanyou.

"Kagome-sama, I think it might be better if you give him some time to cool off." She nodded solemnly as the tears began to spill down her cheeks. It was clear to the monk as the dark haired hanyou sat down that she was trying to find some way to make it right to her protector. He too felt guilty for not stopping the girl once he had realized what she was doing. She sat like that for most of the night as everyone else slept, until suddenly, her face twisted itself from the sad, mopey, heartbroken girl into one of determination as she shot up and headed out the door, all the while sniffing the air.

She found him sitting in a field, staring up at the stars. His hair shone white in the moonlight. He was hunched into his usual crouching/sitting position, not bothering to move even though Kagome knew he could sense her. She sat down beside him, some of the sadness returning as she saw Inuyasha's unguarded expression. He just looked so hurt. The girl sighed, bringing her knees up and wrapping her arms and tail around them before resting her chin on her knee caps. They sat in silence for a while before Inuyasha's gruff voice cut through the air.

"You should be asleep." Her eyes widened before misting over. Even now, when he was obviously pissed at her, he worried about things like her sleep? Again, she found her ears drooping. Neither of them turned to look at the other.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I never meant to have fun at your expense, Inuyasha." The boy snorted.

"Keh. You should be, wench. What if a youkai attacked while I was under that stupid spell?" Kagome nodded, knowing that if that had happened, he would have been killed or forced to watch as she and their companions were.

"I shouldn't have power over you like this. All I've done is abuse it. You haven't needed these beads on you for a long time, Inuyasha. How long has it been since you first attacked me? Three years?" She turned then, her determination returning to her features as she raised a hand to his collar bone and began to tug on his necklace. A clawed hand met her wrist, gripping it tight as if to stop her. She looked up from her hand to be greeted with burning amber eyes downcast. The faintest of pink dusting his cheeks.

"Keh, I won't deny you've abused the hell out of this kotodama, treating me more like a pet some days than your friend. But Kagome, these beads have also saved both of our lives on a countless basis. The protect you –and me –every time I go crazy or there's a threat that I can't get out of in time." His gaze turned up to meet hers. She gasped when his other hand rose to cup her cheek, her whole body frozen. "Just please, please, Kagome, promise me you'll think before using them. Just stop and think about if you really need to be using them." All she could do was nod as more tears sprung to her eyes. It took all of Inuyasha's strength not to pull her into a hug right then and there. "You need to stop acting like a pup, and start thinking with your head, wench." He smiled at her, trying to let her know that yes, he was still ticked off, but it would be okay. She smiled back and turned back to gaze at the stars. With a soft 'Keh' Inuyasha returned his gaze as well, but not before pulling her under his arm so that she could rest her head against his shoulder. Within minutes of feeling Inuyasha's warmth surround her the young school girl was fast asleep, a contented smile on her face.

Inuyasha took a quiet moment to turn his gaze upon the sleeping female's face. So much had changed in the past couple of days, it was no wonder her emotions were all over the place. He still had yet to sort out how he felt about her no longer being a human. Honestly he didn't know whether or not he wanted her to stay this way forever. Regardless though, they would need to see if she still retained her miko powers, and what her limits were before they started honing her skills. Naraku would probably stop at nothing now that there was an untrained hanyou amongst their group. She would no longer be out of harm's way, and constantly be within his sights. He would need to talk to Miroku and Kaede. Silently he picked her up and began walking back to the old woman's hut before jumping into the tree closest to it and settling down with the precious cargo he carried nestled in his lap. It was easiest to protect her this way, and this way the old woman wouldn't have a heart attack when she returned in the morning. Kagome mumbled something incoherently in her sleep before turning her head to nuzzle her companion's chest and snuggle up closer to him. With a small smile, Inuyasha turned his attentions away from the sleeping girl, and back towards the forest, staying alert for any signs of trouble.

* * *

"Well, Kagome-chan, I've never heard of a human, let alone a miko, being turned hanyou from a bit. Are ye sure this is what has caused your transformation?" The human-turned-hanyou nodded vigorously. Kagome had requested a private seating with the elder miko, sending the rest of their group outside. She was sure after the squabble she had with Inuyasha after he insisted on being in there with her that he was sitting on the roof of the hut, listening intently.

"I'm sure, Kaede-sama. It didn't bite deep, just enough to leave a scratch, and break my necklace, but I'm sure that's what did it." Kaede's eye widened. She had never known Kagome to wear a necklace.

"A necklace, child? Do ye have it with ye?" Kagome nodded and moved to her bag, rifling through the front pocket until she found her charm.

"The actual necklace is gone, all I have left is the pendant. Inuyasha went back later that night and found it for me in the grass." The girl handed over the pendant to her elder and watched as Kaede focused on the pendant. To Kagome, it was merely a star shaped locket. Kaede, knew better. She could feel powerful miko energy swirling throughout the tiny object, power she had never seen in all of her lifetime.

"Where did you get this, child? How long have ye had it?" Kagome looked at the elder miko curiously. It had been a gift from her father, her mother had told her. She had had it for as long as she could remember. When she told this to the miko, Kaede's eye narrowed in concentration.

"Growing up, many tales are passed down throughout the village, child. One such tale had been my favourite growing up, told to me by my own grandmother. It was so preposterous that everyone thought it to be a drunk man's fantasy, that is, until you came to this world, Kagome-chan. It had also been a favourite of my sister's, as well." Curiosity swam in the younger's eyes, her ears were at full attention in Kaede's direction. "Legend has it that a human woman, a very powerful miko, and a dog demon had once fallen in love, here in this village. As I am sure you are aware, a mating such as that was indeed frowned upon, more so than if the young woman had just been a mere mortal. Because of this, the couple had many enemies and few friends. They lived a great deal of hardship, which only grew when news came of the couple siring a hanyou child. They fought off human and demon threat alike to keep the child safe, but were quickly growing tired of the threats. No one in the village ever saw the child, from what I've been told. When it was just a babe, the youkai had decided it would be best for them to move back to his home village in the north, where it would be protected further by the demon's clan." Kaede took this moment to chuckle to herself. "As a young woman, Kikyo-onee-sama thought that maybe Inuyasha had been this child. She had been so excited when she had first met him." Kagome smiled at the thought, picturing a happier Kikyo coming home to tell her little sister of her first encounter with the brash hanyou.

"The couple returned three summers later, I'm sure with the child, in the dead of night to hide form a threat hot on their heels. The woman carried a small parcel with her, and placed a pendant very similar to this one on the bundle before travelling down the Bone Eater's Well; back to a time from which she had originated. The myth says that she had left her mate here, and he returned to his village, never to return to ours. It was always mine and Kikyo-onee-sama's hope that the miko would return to this era and to her mate and not turn out to be star-crossed lovers." Kagome's violet eyes widened. The miko returned down the Bone Eater's well? Maybe, just maybe…

"Kaede-sama? Do you think…?" The old woman just smiled before reaching over and patting the young girl on the head.

"The only way to know for certain, my dear, is to ask. The village in the stories is fairly far from here, about a month's journey north. Ye must be careful, Kagome-chan. Ye are untrained, and many youkai and ningen alike hate hanyou. Do as Inuyasha says, when he says it. It will only keep ye safe. Although, I am sure ye are wanting to check in with your mother first?" A twinkle in the old woman's eye left no imagination for the young girl. Kaede was certain that she was the hanyou child in the stories. Even Kagome found it hard to disagree. The girl nodded and stood up, smiling at her elder before heading outside. Within seconds, Inuyasha stood before her, a grim look on his face.

"You think the baba is right?" A solemn nod from the younger hanyou was all it took. "Keh. So where do you want to go first?" Kagome sighed, a sad smile gracing her lips.

"I guess I go see Mama. Inuyasha, will…will you come with me?" The boy nodded silently. In the distance, Kagome could here children playing a game, one she knew well growing up, one that allowed her to discover her hidden ability with the bow from Mount Azusa.

 _Kagome Kagome_ _  
_ _A bird inside a cage_ _  
_ _When, when will it come out?_ _  
_ _At dawn and dusk_ _  
_ _The crane and the turtle slipped_ _  
_ _Who is behind you?_

A shiver ran down the young hanyou's back as she headed towards the well.

* * *

A/N

And that's a wrap on chapter 3. And now, the game has started. In regards to the game Kagome, Kagome, there are many translations out there, however I've decided to use the one in this story, as this translation fits best with where I want this story to go. There are many theories on the origin of this game. Some relate it to the Japanese mythological tradition, but the main theory says that it was in the Asuka period (593 to 710 AC) when the Prince and Princess of Japan began to play and sing this song.

In that moment, the Emperor was controlled by the leaders of the Soga Clan, a rival family. The children of the Imperial House were prisoners in the palace and could not get out. This is why, in the song that goes with the game, the "bird" is imprisoned in a cage and would like to get out. In addition the "crane" and the "turtle" of the song, which are normally symbols of good luck, "have slipped" due to the bad luck of those princes.

I should also mention that for those who have read 'A Miko' that this story is laying itself out slightly differently in the rewrite. This is due to a change in the timeline – it makes more sense for this to be happening while Naraku is still alive (Kagome wouldn't have the ability to travel between the worlds after the jewel was destroyed. So because of this, some minor changes to the plot will be made. Thank you all for your patience, and I will be back soon with another update!


	4. Chased

A/N This chapter is going to be heavy on flashbacks from Yuri's past. Just a warning to you all! I've also changed Inukai's name to Raiden, as I'm sure no great demon lord would name their son Inukai.

* * *

Yuri sighed as she swept the courtyard of the shrine. Her father was at the hospital getting his monthly checkup, and Souta was currently at school. It was days like this that made her wish for the excitement of the Feudal Era. The last time she had tried to return was when Kagome had started her journey with Inuyasha, three years ago. Kagome had found it odd to find her mother at the bottom of the well, and the older woman had no excuse prepared having not expected the girl home for at least another week.

She hadn't heard when the well house doors opened, or when they quietly shut behind the two returnees. She had, however, felt the surge of youki in the air, and dropped her broom to turn sharply towards the new arrivals. On first look, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, it had just been Inuyasha and Kagome, with her big yellow bag. The moment she looked, really looked, however, she took in Kagome's new appearance and smiled. She hadn't seen her daughter's true form since she was three. She had longed to see those tiny black ears on top of her head again. Kagome noticed that her mother was not surprised by her new appearance, which only confirmed in her mind everything Kaede had told her. Instantly, her anger heightened.

"You _knew._ " Yuri gasped at the amount of youki pouring from her daughter. The young girl had fixed her mother with a cold hard glare as she growled, her tail also began to bristle. "You knew about this, and you didn't tell me!?" The older woman took a step back, her eyes sad for her daughter. Inuyasha merely stood there, the light breeze blowing his and Kagome's hair slightly. He reached for Kagome's shoulder, intent on trying to calm her down, but she shrugged him off. "You knew about this, all these years? You knew why I felt that I didn't belong here, and you never bothered to even tell me why? Why I had no father growing up? Did you run away? Was having a hanyou daughter _so bad_ that you made me mortal for 18 years? Tell me!" Inuyasha tensed as he could sense the shift in Kagome's aura. Her ears were pinned back as she snarled out her words, and although he was behind her, he could see the fear in her mother's eyes.

Yuri watched in fright as Kagome's eyes began to bleed black, and her star crest lightened to a blood-red shade. Her dear mate had warned her of this. Quickly, she pulled out an ofuda she had kept on her person at all times, and threw it onto her daughter, cringing as she hissed in pain. Inuyasha himself growled at her mother's actions, but knew there would be no other way of subduing the hanyou long enough for him to act. Quickly, he wrapped his arms around Kagome, locking her arms at her side. He also bit her neck, immobilising her. He was careful not to damage her skin, putting just enough pressure on her skin to have her submit. He was sure the youkai half of her recognised him as alpha and he knew this would be the only way for her to calm. He began to growl low, allowing his whole body to vibrate in an attempt to further soothe her nerves.

Slowly but surely, he felt the hanyou's youki recede back to a normal level. A sudden choke out of, "Why, Mama?" confirmed she was no longer lost to the rage of her youkai blood. Instead, it was quickly replaced by tears as he let go of her, letting her slump to the floor. She crumpled instantly, and within seconds, her mother had her arms around the young girl, both of them left crying. An hour later, when tears began to dry, they moved their party inside of the house.

"He was a very kind and loving man, your father." Yuri took a sip of her tea. Kagome and Inuyasha now sat opposite to their elder, tea in each of their own hands. Kagome was still sniffling from earlier. "He was born to the head family of a branch sect of Inu-Youkai called the House of the Night Sky. Your father, Inuyasha, lead the main branch, the House of the Moon. The main house has sat as Inu-Taisho for as long as anyone can remember, and the branch family has been their protectors for twice as long." Inuyasha snorted. He knew all of this. The first born male from the branch family would be sent to the main house to be raised with its assignee, learning everything needed to become the Inu-Taisho's beta. Often, the main branch child and the branch family male would become friends, even, in the case of a female-male partnership, become mates. "Yuudai had been assigned to watch over your father, Inuyasha, Raiden. He was moved to the main house as a babe, and the two grew to become the best of friends." Yuri smiled as she remembered the brash silver youkai. She was saddened by the thought that Inuyasha would never know just how alike he was to his father.

"Anyways, the two of them had been around 300 years old by the time they stumbled upon me. They had found me inside of the well. I was only 11 at the time, and terribly frightened. Your grandfather had just been attacked by a demon here in our era, and had told me to run to the nearest place I could hide. My first thought had been the well. I never dreamed I would be taken to the past by it.

* * *

 _The wind howled. Trees bent with the force all around the shrine, causing one in particular, the Goshinboku, to tap its strong branches against a little girl's window. She was no older than eleven, a kid to this age's standards. She sat wide awake in bed, frightful brown eyes darting back and forth between the tapping and the shadows dancing around her room. Her normally curly obsidian hair had been pulled up into a ponytail for bedtime hours before. In all accounts she should already be asleep, but the wind and rain was just too much for the little girl. Her father, the kind, caring shrine keeper he was, would understand. After all, she had just lost her mother six months ago to a storm very similar to this one. Her lips began to quiver as tears welled in her eyes, threatening to spill over in her fright. She clutched her long forgotten teddy bear to her chest, trying to find some comfort from it. The door to her small bedroom –compromised of a bed on the left wall and a desk on the right with a small window separating the two. A small closet was shoved off to hide just behind her door when it was fully ajar- began to slowly open. The young girl's eyes darted to the creaking door now, relieved when she saw her father's face poke through. Tears fell as she stood from her bed, teddy long forgotten on the floor, and ran to her father, clutching him tightly. Outside, lightning flashed._

 _The older man's face softened. He knew his only child would not be able to sleep tonight, regardless of having school in the morning. It would be the start of middle school for her this year, and she would need all of her strength to surpass this year's difficulties. Gently, he began to stroke his daughter's hair in an attempt to sooth her nerves._

" _It is only just a bit of rain, daughter. It shall pass. In the meantime, why don't we go downstairs for some tea?" A nod into his hakama was his only reply. They slowly made their way down the rickety old stairs and in to the kitchen. From there, the young girl sat down as her father put the kettle on the stove to boil. He walked over to the cupboard next to their tiny fridge and produced two cups from it. Placing both on the counter beside the kettle, the middle aged man grabbed two tea bags from their placeholder and dropped one into each cup._

" _Father, does the thunder ever scare you?" Tatsuhiro paused, his face covered from his daughter's view. Of course it did, he didn't dare drive in thunderstorms anymore. They were the reason he was awake so late on a night such as this. He was shaking by the time he could answer his daughter. His brown eyes misted over in tears thinking of his beloved late wife, and how his child grew to look more and more like her every day. With a sigh, Tatsuhiro ran a hand through his salt and peppered hair and faced the young girl sitting at the table. The storm outside raged on, rain pelting the tiny door at the other end of the room. Something about the door caught his eye, and when he focused on the door he gasped, freezing with a fright he had never known before._

 _There, pressed right up against their back door's window, was the most hideous thing he had ever seen. It held the face of a kabuki mask, the torso of a naked woman, and the bottom half of a snake, complete with green upturned scales complete with sharp points. The thing was staring at his daughter, completely fixated with its yellow eyes. Tatsuhiro knew he had to do something to protect his daughter, and quickly devised a plan._

" _Yuri, child, you must not turn around. Walk calmly to the front door, and wait until I tell you to leave. I want you to run for the well, and stay hidden in the well house until I come for you. Is that understood?" The girl's face dropped, apprehension and fear clouding her eyes. She nodded timidly before getting up, tea forgotten, and went to the front door to wait for her father's word. Knowing she was now out of harm's way, the elder grabbed the nearest chair and threw it through the door, smacking the monster in the face. "Demon, be gone!" The youkai chuckled before racing towards Tatsuhiro._

" _You, human, will die for your insolence, but not before I make you watch your daughter's demise. I'll devour her insides, and consume the Shikon no Tama for myself!" Fearful eyes turned to the front hall, and the older of the two humans did his best to keep the demon occupied._

" _Yuri, now! Go now!" With that she was off at a breakneck pace as she listened to whatever had made its way into her home shriek in frustration. She had no time to stop. If she stopped, her dad's sacrifice would be for nothing. Quickly, Yuri whipped open the well house door and launched herself into the old well, knowing that it was the best hiding spot in the entire house. No one could see the bottom of it from the top. What she hadn't been expecting, was the blue light that engulfed her form. The power of the well was too much for the little girl, and before the light stopped shining, Yuri Higurashi lost consciousness._

 _She awoke to daylight shining above her head. She looked up, thinking it strange that there would be so much light. Why hadn't her father come to wake her? While gazing towards the sky, a sudden shadow took over the mouth of the well, forming to that of two people. With tears in her eyes, Yuri sniffled. From what she could see, neither of these people were her father. Both had much longer hair, one silver and the other as black as night. The silver-haired one had piercing golden orbs, while the obsidian one had a bright violet shade to his. Both sets of eyes held the same glow as a cat's in darkness. She knew she couldn't climb out of the well herself, and hoped that either person would be kind enough to offer assistance._

" _C-can you help me? I think I'm lost." It was those words that would start the adventure of her lifetime._

* * *

"The Inu village welcomed me with open arms. An orphan was always welcome, be they human or youkai. I never returned to the other side of the well, not until you were three years old. I thought your grandfather was dead, and I had nothing to return to. I was trained to hone my miko abilities, and taught how to handle a bow. I was made useful, becoming a powerful asset to the village. Once I was trained to the best of their abilities I was sent to travel with Raiden and Yuudai, and learn more and more about the lands that they would one day rule together with an iron fist. We spent 9 years on the road, making a lot of friends along the way, as well as enemies. One enemy in particular, will always be burned in my mind. It was because of them that our family was torn apart." Yuri's eyes glossed over at the memory of that fateful day.

* * *

 _The harsh November winds bristled through the air. They should have been home by now, they knew. The young miko wrapped her shawl tighter to her, trying desperately to keep warm. The winters were always the worst for her here in the Feudal Era. Every winter her and the two demon companions she travelled with would make it back to the village to drop her off for the season before they continued on their journey – sometimes months without her. Frost had covered their campsite this morning, meaning they were already late. Yuri, now at the ripe age of 15, could feel her fingers were numb; if they stumbled on to a demon now she would be of no use. In front of her, her silver-haired companion noticed her shivering. He quickly nudged his obsidian partner, and they both fell back to walk beside the freezing girl. Yuudai smiled at the girl. She was quickly becoming a thing of beauty, and had recently been attracting all sorts of attention in the villages they passed through._

 _She now stood a good foot taller than when he and Raiden had found her 6 summers ago. She had lopped off most of her curls, settling on shoulder length hair that bounces with every step she took. Long ago the girl had traded her modern clothes for the garb of a priestess, fully settling on staying in this era. He was sure that by the time she was ready to settle down and wed she would again trade her clothes for something suited to her stature. The girl was already growing as a woman – although from her lithe form it would be certain she wouldn't carry the assets some of the demon women in the village had. Her eyes held a special twinkle to them that never disappeared – which Yuudai found odd considering how dark her chocolate eyes were. She would be petite for the rest of her life, he was sure of it. It was no secret that the reason she had no suitors come forth was thanks to her two youkai companions – neither considered any human or demon worthy of their bubbly, spirited friend._

 _Not that Yuri would mind anyways as someone near and dear already held her heart in his grasp. The young demon lord of the branch family had no idea of Yuri's affections. It had been Yuudai who had found her that day in the well, dragging Raiden along to pacify his curiosity. He had smelled the most fragrant of scents coming inside the dried thing – a scent of summer lilies and rain - and just knew instinctively that something was amiss. Whenever they patrolled the area the well reeked of bones and decay. When he had peered in to his surprise sat a young girl in the strangest of clothes. The rest Yuri could only guess at. He stood taller than her by a good head. His black hair trailed down his back in a lazy braid formed at the base of his neck. His sharp violet eyes called to her in an unexplainable way, and Yuri could not help but marvel at his star crest under his right eye, his elegant elvish-ears, and the bushy midnight tail that cascaded from where his tail bone should have been. Raiden, too, was a thing of beauty, but then again Yuri had yet to meet a demon who wasn't. He stood slightly taller than Yuudai, his own silver mane pulled up into a high ponytail. His own eyes were a piercing gold hidden beneath his insanely bushy – yet kept – eyebrows. His crests were a symbol of stature, twin jagged lines on each cheek ending in line with the center of his eye, and a crescent moon dead center on his forehead framed by silver bags. His whole aura demanded respect from anyone and anything around him, and everyone listened. He too had a tail – two fluffy cream tails that blended in to the fur trailing down his back. Oh how sometimes Yuri wished she could feel how soft it was, but she knew better. To touch his tails meant severe punishment._

 _Yuri was pulled out of her thoughts by a heavy, warm weight resting on her shoulders. She looked to her left to find Yuudai's winter cloak wrapped around her shoulders. She looked up at the young demon and smiled, causing him to blush. No words were needed – he already knew how grateful she was. Raiden looked over the two and smirked._

" _Keh. It's a good thing our bodies are built differently than you weak humans'." The young miko turned and glared at her other companion before sticking her tongue out._

" _Careful there, Rai, we don't want Sesshoumaru picking up on your nasty habits." The inu-youkai snorted at the thought and frowned._

" _The babe will learn disdain for humans from his mother, I'm sure. I was only jesting, Yuri, surely you knew that. You are the only mate for me, after all." Raiden smiled at Yuri's blush as Yuudai snarled. It was an ongoing joke between Yuri and Raiden that irked poor Yuudai to no end, going back to just after the silver haired inu's father made the announcement regarding Raiden's arranged mating. The mother of Raiden's heir was a beautiful and fearsome woman. She, too, was from the main branch, a distant cousin of his. Raiden's father had all but insisted he produce an heir with her in the hopes of a strong grandson. Raiden stayed as far away from her as possible after he had fulfilled his father's request. Not one youkai, aside from Yuudai, could understand his need to be in love with his mate of choice._

" _Yes, husband, of course." Yuri gave a small chuckle before she stopped walking and sneezed. With the pace they were going they would reach the village in two days, and inwardly the girl groaned at having to sleep on the cold ground._

 _A rustle to their left caught all three's attention. Both male inu grabbed their hilts, ready to extract their weapons as Yuri shrugged her shawl and cloak to retrieve her bow and quiver, knocking an arrow. From behind the nearest tree emerged a young man with long wavy black hair and red eyes. "So this is the future Tai-youkai and his charges. I've heard so much about you, Raiden-sama." The young man bowed low before turning towards Yuri and smiled sadistically. "And the young Yuri-sama. You radiate with beauty. I wonder if you will still radiate once your innards are spilled across the forest floor and that jewel in your gut is mine!" The man moved at an inhuman speed, somehow getting past both of her protectors. She didn't even have time to fire an arrow. The girl yelped as she was lifted by her throat, causing Raiden to snarl as he took off after the pair. Yuudai's eyes turned vicious as he allowed his transformation to take over him, turning into a beast of a wolf-dog, and sprinted after the young miko with murderous intent, surpassing Raiden within a moment._

 _The youkai stood no chance against the dog._

 _Raiden barely caught up in time to see Yuudai ripping the offending demon apart, and Yuri huddled in a daze by his feet. Her neck was bruised, and she was shivering. Upon looking at her body, he found a dozen lacerations, some quite deep, bleeding around her torso. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Raiden was sure she would soon go in to shock. He moved to get closer to the girl, but was held back by the wolf-dog's snarl. Raiden barked an order to the dog before giving off a few growls and yips, trying to convey Yuri's state to the enraged demon before him. The dog seemed to understand, and barked back before kneeling down to carry the girl. Raiden swiftly grabbed the miko, being sure to watch her injuries, and climbed onto Yuudai's back, grabbing the fur behind his neck to secure them. Within seconds the great dog was off, heading for home._

 _No one noticed the spider crawl out from under one of the torn pieces of flesh left in the field._

* * *

It had taken her three days to wake from her injuries, and another month before they were fully healed. Yuri still shivered at the thought. "It was after then that your father confessed his feelings, and we later wed and mated. It was only after you re-met Inuyasha that I realised the jewel that demon had been talking about had been the Shikon no Tama, which obviously transferred to you when I was pregnant."

"Wait, hold up. You said re-met? I've never seen Kagome before in my whole life!" Kagome sat in silence, trying to take everything in, her brain running a mile a minute.

"You have, Inuyasha. You and Kagome were the best of friends. Of course, after Yuudai and I mated, Raiden later confessed that he too, had feelings for me, and that his mating joke really hadn't been a joke. I was mortified, but, six months later he met a princess from the exterminator village, and they mated. If I remember correctly you were born the following summer. Kagome followed shortly after you in the spring. From the moment she was born you two spent every day together, and became inseparable as soon as Kagome could walk. Hold on, I've got something to show you two." Yuri rose from her seat and went upstairs to the attic. Inuyasha turned his attention to the young hanyou before him. She was too quiet. He had known Kagome for three years, and she was never this quiet.

"Kagome?" The girl looked up from her trance to see Inuyasha's concerned face. She smiled and shook her head, hoping that if she at least pretended she was okay with everything going on that Inuyasha's ears would perk up.

"Ah! Here it is!" Could be heard from the attic as Yuri ceased her rummaging. Both hanyou turned at the noise to see the older woman emerge from around the corner with a small envelope. She quietly handed the envelope to Kagome, a sad smile on her face. "When I was younger I always had a disposable camera on me. I'm glad I had it when I fell down the well. I didn't take many pictures, but there are a couple I can cherish. Whenever I feel sad, I tend to go up into the attic and look at these." Kagome opened the envelope and pulled out its contents. Inside were a few dozen pictures, mostly from when she was a toddler. The photo albums that were downstairs never held any baby photos of Kagome, and she had always questioned her Mama why. The first one was of Kagome as a baby, she couldn't possibly be more than 3 months old. She was laughing in this photo, with bright violet eyes and a huge toothless grin. Beside her, a young toddler sat holding her tail. It would have been hard to mistake who it was sitting next to her. She smiled at the huge grin that was on toddler-Inuyasha's face and was awed by how happy he looked as a child. She looked over at Inuyasha to see his eyes were wide with wonder and disbelief.

She turned to the next photo, a family photograph. Here, she looked to be around 2. She was in a light blue summer kimono with carefully stitched stars cascading down the sleeves. Her tail was short and bushy, much like it had been the first day her necklace had broken. She was being held by her mother so that she was in the center of the photo, who wore a traditional kimono fit for a princess, and on Kagome's other side stood a man. They were all smiling happily, as if they had not a care in the world. Yuri's hair looked longer than Kagome had ever seen it, and there was a certain sparkle in her eyes that had never been there while the young hanyou had been growing up. Tears came to the young hanyou's eyes as she saw the same crest that was on her cheek imprinted on the young man's. Her eyes were an identical match to his own – the eye shape was all wrong, that she had gotten from her mother, but the shade of violet was undeniably the same. They even had the same nose, and the same shade of hair, even the same wavy flow to it. This man, this youkai, was no doubt her father. Once more, she began to choke on her words. "Why? Why couldn't we stay, Mama?" Yuri gave the girl a sad smile, and pulled her into a hug before stroking her hair.

"The demon that attacked me? We later learned that it had been a parasitic youkai, one who latches on to others and controls them. He had managed to sneak into the village one night unnoticed, hell bent on revenge. That was the night Inuyasha went missing."

* * *

" _Mama! Papa!" A three year old pup came in to view as Yuri and Yuudai finished preparing supper. Worry immediately set into youkai male as he smelled the fear rolling off of the young girl. When he turned to the door he immediately saw the tears in his daughter's eyes, and noticed just how much she was shaking. Yuri ran to the little girl immediately, enveloping her in a hug that little Kagome was desperate to get out of. He watched as Yuri's face fell as Kagome's tail tucked between her legs and her ears refused to rise out of her unkempt hair. Yuudai's heart broke as he heard the fearful whimper of a pup rise from the little girl's throat. The tall demon knelt before his daughter and pulled her from her mother's embrace into a tight hug and began to rumble in an attempt to sooth her. He had never seen the young girl quite so upset._

" _What's wrong, Kagome?" The girl whined as more tears fell from her eyes. Carefully, Yuudai pulled the girl's face away from his haori so that she would look him straight in the eye._

" _P-papa. I-Inu's missing! His scent j-ju-just stops!" Bushy eyebrows furrowed. His daughter had a keen sense of smell, better than most of the full youkai children. If she said that Inuyasha's scent just stopped…_

" _Where, pup? Show me." The little hanyou nodded as she grabbed her father's hand. As he and the pup headed out the door, he turned to his mate who now sported the same worried look as his daughter. "Yuri." The young mother looked up from her musings. She knew how dangerous this would be if Raiden's son, a child from the main branch, had gone missing in a village full of inu-youkai. A scent didn't just vanish. "Alert Raiden, Sesshoumaru and Izayoi of Kagome's findings. The more help we have to find him, the better." With that, both youkai and hanyou hurriedly left the hut they called home. The young miko was left to herself, and quickly set out to find her dear friends._

 _The group of youkai returned to Yuri's home hours after the sun had set, with only one hanyou amongst them. Izayoi's eyes were red and puffy. Raiden's left arm was around her shoulders after having tried to console her to no avail. He too, looked on the brink of tears. Little Kagome was wrapped up in Yuudai's arms, having cried herself to sleep. She had refused to let the adults search for her best friend without her, and in fear that she would try to find his scent outside of the village and be kidnapped herself, the full blooded inus allowed her to come. Sesshoumaru held the rear of the group, seemingly the only one who could keep his emotions together. Yuri's heart fell at the sight. She walked over to her husband and took the sleeping child from his arms to lay her on the girl's sleeping roll. Sesshoumaru walked over to where Kagome slept, his golden eyes deep set with worry. Carefully, he held the little girl's hand within his own. She was like a little sister to him, this child of the branch family, and to see her so heartbroken stoked a fire deep within the young youkai._

" _When she wakes, she will want to continue the search." Raiden nodded before moving to rest a hand on his son's shoulder. Sesshoumaru tore his gaze from Kagome's sleeping face to Raiden's. He felt it when Kagome squeezed his hand, and he turned back towards her to see her violet eyes open tiredly as more tears threatened to fall from her cherub face._

" _Maru-kun? Are you going to go find Inu?" The boy's eyebrows furrowed. He held no ill-will towards his younger brother. At first daylight, against his father's orders, he would head out to continue the search. Whoever stole Inuyasha would answer to him._

" _Yes, Kagome. I will not rest until Inuyasha is found and brought home. His life is mine to do with as I see fit." The tiny hanyou smiled up at her best friend's elder brother._

" _Thank you, Maru-kun." With that, the girl fell back asleep. Sesshoumaru stood, turning back to his father and step-mother. His eyes were hard and fiery._

" _The spider will pay for what he has done to this pack." Raiden nodded in agreement. He himself would be out there right now, if not for the fact that he now controlled and protected the whole pack._

" _You are not to return until Inuyasha is brought home, is that understood, Sesshoumaru?" A nod was all the elder needed before Sesshoumaru took off into the night. Raiden then turned to the darker haired couple in the room, a perpetual sadness radiating from him. "Yuudai, Yuri and Kagome need to be protected. It is apparent not even our village can shelter them from harm."_

" _Maybe….the well?" Yuudai's answer shocked the young miko, making Yuri's eyes widen. No one had spoken of the well in 9 years! She didn't even know if it still worked, or if Yuudai or Kagome would be able to come with… Everyone else nodded their head in agreement._

" _We have nothing to go back there to." Yuri shook her head, desperately trying to convince them of how horrible a plan this would be. "Besides, Kagome-chan would stick out like a sore thumb. Youkai and hanyou are not openly flaunting their features in my time!"_

" _Yuri-chan… I have a scroll given to me by a very powerful miko back when I was still with the exterminators. It is said to be able to hide the features of a youkai indefinitely. Perhaps, if we attached it to an object rather than Kagome-chan herself…" The young miko was defeated. There were no more excuses she could offer. With a sad nod, knowing if they went through with this she would be separated from everything she knew and loved, Yuri began to make the preparations._

 _They would be leaving tonight._

* * *

Tears welled in Kagome's eyes for her mother. Yuri looked across the table at the young couple and smiled. "We placed the charm on the locket, a gift my father had given to me when I was about six. When we arrived on this side, I found out my father had survived the demon attack, and he had been so incredibly happy to have us home. I told him of my adventures, and of your father, and while he didn't necessarily approve, he loved you no less. I never knew if Sesshoumaru ended up finding you, or the monster who took you, dear. I had always hoped if that had been the case that Kagome's father would have come for us, but we've already been waiting 18 years now." Yuri sighed and stood up before smiling at the pair.

"Now, let's get started on dinner, Souta should be home soon and I'm sure you two are hungry." Inuyasha blinked before looking outside to see the sun was now setting. They had spent the whole day sitting at this table, and hadn't eaten anything. As the silver-haired hanyou blanched at the thought of not eating all day, Kagome tilted her head to the side as a thought suddenly occurred to her.

"Wait, Mama, what about Souta? He was born here!" Yuri giggled.

"Do you remember when you had been pestering and pestering me for a little brother, Kagome?" The girl nodded her head. She had been six at the time, and mostly everyone in her kindergarten had a younger sibling. "Well, finally your grandfather and I had an idea. We went to the adoption agency and began the process about a year before Souta came home. In order to have you believe he was 'born' we bought a fake belly. We also picked a baby who looked most similar to you, so you wouldn't ask too many questions." Kagome nearly fell off her chair. Just how much did her mother lie to her growing up?

"Keh. That's twisted. And I thought my family had issues." Kagome couldn't have agreed more with the hanyou right then.


	5. Beaten

Two weeks after their return, Kagome and Inuyasha found themselves in a field far north of their tiny little village. The sun beat down on the pair as Kagome moved into the fighting stance Inuyasha had spent 10 minutes correcting her on. It had been his idea to teach her how to fight hand-to-hand. She knew he would never comment on it, but he was impressed with how quickly she had taken to her new hanyou lifestyle. Sounds and smells no longer bothered her as much as they had when she had changed, and her eyesight has only proven an advantage when looking for shards. It was her fighting that still needed drastic improvement. She was getting the moves he was teaching her just fine, but she couldn't manifest her youki the way she could with her reiki.

One of her black ears flicked towards her hanyou companion as she heard his irritated growl from across the field. She stood from her stance with a huff and a flick of her tail.

"This isn't as hard as using your reiki, wench! Just shoot something at me!" An eye twitched at her companion's remark. Didn't he know she was trying her hardest?

"I'm trying, baka! This isn't as easy as you make it look. Every time I try to focus on my youki, my reiki comes out instead!" Kagome focused, intent on proving her point. Looking inside of her, much like how Kaede and Miroku had taught, the young miko-hanyou found her center with ease. Swirling shades of pink and violet collided violently inside of her, and it seemed the more she tried to call her youki to the surface, the more it rebelled against her command. With a frustrated sigh she opened her eyes to find Inuyasha standing in front of her. He tilted his head as he studied her, his golden eyes ablaze with wonder and confusion.

He knew she was trying. He could see the way her aura fluctuated between the two halves of her power. He just couldn't understand how she couldn't even get her claws to glow after trying all morning. Suddenly, he recalled a conversation he overheard back when Kagome first discovered her reiki. Slapping a clawed hand to his forehead, the male hanyou felt like a total idiot.

"We've been going about this wrong. The babaa and the monk taught you to meditate and have a clear mind when calling your reiki up, right?" With a nod from his counterpart his face lit up in a smirk. "Forget all of that when it comes to youki. When you think of the difference between a miko and a youkai, what comes to mind?" Kagome blinked violet eyes at him before tearing her gaze to the sky, a clawed finger coming to rest on her cheek. Both of her ears flattened slightly in concentration as one of her fangs popped out from under her lip.

"Miko are always supposed to be calm, level headed and pure. They are supposed to be the village's rock, their support. They are the ones the villagers go to for advice, or spiritual healing and guidance. Youkai on the other hand are wild, energetic and a force to be reckoned with." Inuyasha grinned.

"Exactly. Where miko, and reiki, are the calm of the stream, youkai and their respective youki could be considered like a rapid. You're thinking too much, wench. Don't try to clear your head. Feel everything. Let your emotions go wild." Kagome's eyes widened, and suddenly everything made sense. Inuyasha was always more powerful the moment he let his emotions take hold – the need to protect her, the anger towards Naraku – it only helped strengthen him.

Closing her eyes, Kagome let everything she was feeling come to the surface – the anger towards the parasite that drove her family apart, the sadness for Inuyasha, who had thought for all of these years that his family was dead, the betrayal she felt from her mother keeping everything from her, her love for her friends and the hanyou in front of her, the need to protect those she loved...

And suddenly, she glowed.

The purple youki swirling inside of her exploded to the forefront, completely overtaking her reiki within. Her eyes opened as she looked down to stare at her now claws as they pulsed a golden hue. She looked up to Inuyasha to find him smiling, pride clearly evident on his face. Her youki called to her as she turned towards the nearest tree, begging to be released. "Joka Hikari" The name whispered from her lips like a long lost lover. She crossed her wrists and with a quick flick downward ten streams of light released into the air and sung true to their target. It was Inuyasha's turn to widen his eyes; he hadn't seen that move in over a year – the last time being when Kagome had been possessed by that bastard Menomaru.

She turned back around to face Inuyasha, the smile plastered on her face infectiously bubbling across his lips. "I did it!" She squealed as she lunged at the silver-haired male before her. Her arms wrapped around his neck as he gripped her waist in an attempt keep from losing his balance. Realizing what she had done, the younger hanyou let go quickly, her gaze falling to the blades of grass at her feet with a shy smile replacing her grin, but not before Inuyasha caught evidence of a rising blush coming to her face.

"Keh. You're getting better, wench." Shocked by the rare compliment, Kagome tilted her head to look back up at Inuyasha. Her eyes widened slightly at his smirk. He seriously meant it! A compliment, just for her! A small fang poked out from her slightly wider smile before their moment was ruined.

"Inuyasha? What's that sm-" She didn't have time to finish her question before the hanyou pulled her behind him and reached for Tetsusaiga. He was on high alert; his ears twitched every which way, picking up sounds not even Kagome's ears could as his eyes darted back and forth, waiting for something to burst through the foliage. One clear sniff told Kagome there were many of them, but how many, even she was unsure. Her own eyes glanced across the clearing to their camp and inwardly she groaned. Inuyasha would have her head on a silver platter when he discovered her bow and arrows were sitting next to her backpack.

A low growl snapped her back to the man before her as she could feel him bristle. The youki pouring in to the field was suffocating – there would be no way they could win. Another quick whiff told her of Inuyasha's concern as her ears started to pick up the sounds bouncing around the forest.

They were surrounded.

The young miko-turned-hanyou twisted so that he back was to Inuyasha. She figured they hadn't been practicing her hand-to-hand combat for nothing these past couple of weeks… she might as well put it to good use. Getting into the stance that he had taught her, Kagome fixed her gaze to the trees ahead. They may not take them all out, but they weren't going to go down without a fight. She could hear them snickering within the foliage, causing her hackles to rise as she reflexively flexed her claws.

"Get out of here, Kagome." An ear flickered towards her companion. She huffed. What a time to be chivalrous.

"I'm not leaving you hear to face them all alone, baka." His retorting growl was all she needed to hear to know just what he thought. "I won't leave you, so you can just shut up. You can't take them all by yourself."

"Keh. Like you could. Just let me keep my promise, wench." Her eyes widened as she lowered her defense to fling herself around at the arrogant man. His words flew back to her from a long time ago, from back when they first started their journey together.

 _Just shut up and let me protect you!_

Her words came out as no more than an angry whisper as she growled at Inuyasha, tears springing to her eyes. "I'm not letting you die, stupid. Not for me." Without giving him time to react, Kagome ran towards the edge of the forest, claws shining a brilliant gold as she began her attack on their enemy. A few fell at from her claws – certainly not dead, but knocked out. She trailed through the forest, taking as many as she could down, until one of the youkai caught her wrist in a blink of an eye. It was obvious the oncoming youkai wasn't expecting her to strike first, but was too quick for the young hanyou.

Violet clashed with violet, as twin pair of eyes rose in shock. Kagome's hair cascaded forward from the abrupt halt as the hand around her wrist laxed. Her eyes flew to the star-shaped mark on his cheek as his scent wafted to her nose – sage and smoke from a bonfire. The scent tugged at her memory, pulling her back to a time before the jewel, before Naraku, before her and Yuri had left. It was a comforting scent, one that screamed at her to lower her defenses. A bellowing laugh ghosted to her ears.

She knew this man. There was only one person he could be.

The youkai before her was now older – creases could be seen around his eyes, and his whole demeanor seemed… more melancholy. He wore armour as black as night, his green hakama and haori hidden beneath them. A long flowing tail very similar to her own trailed behind him.

"Kagome…" An ear flicked at the sound of her name coming from his lips. A memory rocketed through her

* * *

 _Fields of marigold surrounded the laughing pair as twin young hanyou ran through the fields. Yin and Yang, black and white, the two held no worries or cares._

" _Inu! Inu!" The younger of the two, barely a summer old and still toddling at best, chases after her slightly older companion. Bright, gleeful violet eyes trail after him as her tiny tongue sticks out in an effort to keep her balance. Her hair reaches no further than her chin. She was wrapped in a simple light brown kimono – her mother was tired of trying to wash out the grass stains._

" _Can' catch me 'Gome!" Her companion grinned mirthfully, his golden eyes shining just a bright brighter than the sun itself. He knew it was unfair, he had been walking for a bit longer than her, and could run, but this was one of the young pup's favourite games. It was he who she took her first steps to after all._

 _The girl-pup giggled as she tried to pick up her pace. Inuyasha watched on happily that young Kagome had taken the bait. She was doing well too, her strides growing more and more confident with each passing step. Kagome was catching up as Inuyasha slowed his pace slightly, and seeing her chance, the raven-haired hanyou took her chance and pounced…_

 _Only to miss and fall flat on her face in the dirt._

 _Tears encased the girl's eyes as she began to wail, and in an instant she could smell the comforting smells of sage and bonfire on the wind. A hearty laugh met her ears as one appendage flicked towards the oncoming sound. Before the girl-pup knew it she was lifted into the air and turned to face her savior. Laughing, warm violet eyes met her own as the full youkai before her growled soothingly as he pulled her to his chest._

 _Instinctively she grabbed onto his haori and nuzzled into his chest as she began to wail. The youkai continued to rumble as he gazed down at the hanyou-pup in his arms, a smile pulling at his lips. "There, there, Kagome-chan. You can't learn to run without learning to fall, young one." Soon her wails turned into sniffles, and once the older man was convinced she was calm enough for his attentions to turn he faced the other young one in the field. The child of the main branch had walked up to the older youkai and tugged on his hakama to grab his attention. Concern laced the young boy's voice._

" _Yuudai, is 'Gome-chan okay?" Yuudai knelt down and stroked the boy-pups head with his free hand._

" _Kagome is just fine pup. She just bonked her nose. Next time she will do better." He smiled reassuringly at the young lord as the silver haired inu glanced over at his closest friend. She had ceased her crying by now, and though her nose was a little red from where it made contact with the ground, she smiled brightly._

" _You hear, Inu? Papa says I get better, and papa always right!"_

* * *

"P…Papa?" He dropped her wrist as he enveloped her in a hug. Shock still rang through Kagome as the man squeezed her tighter.

"Kagome! It's you, it's really you." It couldn't be this easy, things were never this easy. A cry in the distance brought her back from her shock as she remembered just who she had come with. She pushed against the man claiming to be her father as she tried to escape. He let her go, believing her to just be in disbelief. If she was back she had to remember everything, right? And where was Yuri? Why wasn't his mate with their daughter? He watched as Kagome took a couple steps back from him before turning on her heals and running back in the direction she came from, seemingly out of his life once more. Not wanting to let her go, he immediately chased after her, to come in to the clearing he and his patrol had been scouting against intruders. Suddenly, everything clicked.

He watched as she rushed towards whatever the pack was huddled around, using her claws to swipe at anyone that stood in her way. She huddled over something red, and smelt when tears came to her eyes. She growled low, causing several of the males he brought with him to back up, almost all of them immediately knowing she was pack. Curiosity overcame Yuudai as he stepped closer, trying to see just who his daughter was so worried about.

His vision was met with long silver hair and cloth of the fire rat, worn as protection for hanyou and ningen within the village that belonged to the main branch. Yuudai watched as one of Kagome's hands came to rest on the young male's cheek. Her touch seemed to awaken the youngling as he groaned, and immediately he saw relief sweep through his young one. It wasn't until he heard her murmuring that he realized this man meant quite a bit to his Kagome-chan, and the reality of how many years and moments he missed out on weighed heavy on his mind.

"Don't try to get up. You'll only hurt yourself some more, baka." Kagome gently pressed a hand to the stranger's chest, urging him to lay back down, but the male was having none of it.

"Keh! I can still smell them! I…I'm not letting you get hurt, wench." He watched as his daughter chuckled before beginning to ease the hanyou up. His golden eyes were half-lidded and one of the strangely familiar dog-ears on top of his head drooped. He was marred with lacerations. Yuudai didn't need the scent hidden underneath the stench of blood to know just who his daughter was with. Instantly, his eyes began to darken as his deathly growl began to bubble in his chest. All gazes in the clearing turned towards the seething youkai.

"Inuyasha."

A/N

I'm baaa-ack. Sorry for the long hiatus. Started working for a new company and got a little side-tracked. I also wasn't sure just how to start this chapter off, but once I was finally happy with it, it just seemed to flow from my fingertips. Reviews are appreciated!


	6. Chained

Yuudai's growl demanded authority, and for the first time in her life Kagome was at a loss for what to do. Her blood demanded she listen to her father, while her heart and brain fought to stay in his path. Inuyasha was in no position to fight the older youkai. At least not right this instant.

She appeared to stumble to her feet, an air of defiance surging through her. This was the man who cast away her family. This youkai gave up her right to stay in the feudal era, where she belonged. He robbed her of her hanyou abilities for 18 years of her life. He didn't deserve to demand things from her, not anymore. She moved to stand directly in her father's path as her own growl rumbled out of her throat. Her tail flicked menacingly, as if taunting him to try and get past her. Whispers of shock danced around her as she watched the inu before her bristle.

"Move aside, Kagome." After a moment, Yuudai realized his daughter would not obey his wishes, her chin held high as her glare reaffirmed where her loyalties lay. He watched her tail twitch with a fury second to none. "I order you as your father and alpha to step aside, pup." Still, the young halfling refused to move, instead moving into a defensive stance. From behind her he could see Inuyasha scowl up at the young girl, obviously displeased with her choice.

"Wench-"

"If you want to get at Inuyasha, you'll have to come through me first." It was a risky move, but she knew she wasn't leaving Inuyasha behind. These may have been the people they had been searching for, but at the moment Kagome couldn't tell if she could trust them with their lives. She could feel the anger from the man she should be calling father; Inuyasha had explained pack order to her after all, and knew she was in direct defiance from her 'alpha'. Problem was, her allegiance fell in with her rag-tag group, leaving Inuyasha as their leader. She flexed her claws, knowing there would be a good chance they wouldn't be leaving this clearing by their own free will.

"Pup, he is a danger to you and this pack. Step aside **now.** " Still, the young hanyou stood tall, so different from the obedient pup he remembered. _But of course,_ the older youkai thought to himself, _she is no longer the pup you sent through the well. She has had years without a father, years without the guidance she needed._ Yuudai also noted that as a pup his daughter and Inuyasha were inseparable. It was evident even now she and Inuyasha were close; how though? He scented the wind and noted they were not mated, yet at the same time the boy's scent enveloped Kagome like a blanket, almost as if to shield her from the world. Kagome's in turn lay on the boy's skin like a loving embrace.

 _Loving._ They were intended. He sighed at the complication, a clawed hand coming to rest on his face as he relaxed his posture.

"Kagome, we will not allow a son of the house of the moon to die in the forest. He will be tried for his crimes as any inu would be." He watched as confusion etched its way onto the pup's face.

"But he didn't do anything wrong!" Her face at that moment pulled him back to the little cherub of a girl Kagome had been – wide eyed and naïve to the world's workings. Her ears laid flat against her head as her tail tucked in. His gaze turned to the hanyou at her side, steadily moving to rise. The boy clutched his side, definitely sporting a few cracked ribs. One of his ears drooped as purple began to encompass the skin around his left eye – the swelling was so bad that Yuudai was sure Inuyasha was unable to see through it. Despite his wounds, still the silver-haired man stood tall, his fierce glare as rebellious as his daughter's attitude. Kagome moved to support Inuyasha; her hands resting on his chest and back respectively. Her eyes however, never left Yuudai's face.

"Inuyasha faces treason against the pack. He will stand against his crimes, and you will not interfere, daughter." The movement was too quick for either hanyou to register – a nod was their only warning. Yuudai glared at the two of them, leaving the hanyous' attention on him; Kagome barely had time to notice one of the pack members had snuck up on her and Inuyasha.

All she felt was the sharp hit to her head before the world went black.

* * *

When she came to, the first thing Kagome noticed was that her head was pounding worse than ever before. Her ears felt like they were muffled to the outside world, although her nose was still as keen as ever. One sniff told her Inuyasha was somewhere in the vicinity, but not close enough for her liking. She groaned as she sat, cracking an eye open to find herself in a small hut. After blinking a couple of times, she realized her father was sitting across from her, his face a perfect mixture of worry and satisfaction. Her first instinct was to growl and she moved to get up.

" _Stay_." Her eyes flew open as her wrists were pulled back to the futon beneath her. Her eyes flicked down to find a pair of very familiar beads wrapped around her wrists like handcuffs. Her growls increased at the offending beads as she tried to pull herself back up.

"Now just who do you think-" her rant was cut short by Yuudai's sharp bark.

"You are going to listen, Kagome, whether you like it or not. When I am finished, you can decide if Inuyasha is innocent of his crimes." She watched as her father nodded towards her beads, his subtle way of threatening to use them again.

"He did nothing wrong! Let me go, you… you… jerk!" Kagome turned a hard glance back to her father. How could Mama had fallen in love with this jerk? She watched as Yuudai flinched at her sharp tongue. She could feel her youki swirl and pulse as her emotions took over.

"Calm yourself, pup. We don't need you turning in the middle of the village. I assure you Inuyasha is safe, for now. Just…breathe." Kagome huffed, clearly not liking the situation. He took her silence as acceptance and continued. He slowly made his way to sit right in front of Kagome. Getting a good look at him know, the young hanyou could see how time had aged the youkai – he had light streaks of silver throughout his mane, and his eyes crinkled more than Kagome ever could recall in her mind's eye.

"How much do you know, child? Do you know anything of what happened after you and your mother left?" Kagome stubbornly shook her head no.

"Inuyasha returned not too long after we left the village. He was crazed – it was hard to believe a child of four summers could possess so much raw power. Not even Raiden could calm the boy's blood." Yuudai grimaced, remembering Raiden's recount of the tale. The young hanyou had been bloodthirsty, his eyes a murderous red as he attacked anything within his reach. Gone was the kind hearted hanyou who played with his pup. "Inuyasha attacked Raiden with no remorse and managed to not only injure him but also steal the Tetsusaiga that he so proudly strings to his hip before running off. He followed our scent through the forest to the old well after the village failed to stop him. How could the pack hurt one of their own? A child at that?" Kagome's eyes were as big as saucers as her ears lay folded on her head. Inuyasha had turned? As a child? A whine rose from her throat.

"He was hunting us, pup. Hunting you." The frown on the hanyou's face proved confusing for Yuudai. Why was she not more surprised by this knowledge?

She started slow, being sure to check her words. "I said it once, and I will say it again – Inuyasha is _innocent_! If his youkai blood hadn't taken control, maybe you could punish him with whatever crime you please, but the truth of the matter is that he isn't in control when his youki surges like that. On top of it all, did anyone actually try to calm him down, or maybe see if he was possessed? He was four! And now, when he finally comes back home, he's being treated like a criminal after he's been lied to his entire life by a stupid parasite!" Her voice rose as her anger coated her throat. "He was kidnapped, and then his kidnapper altered his memories! How would you feel at four if you had no clue about your past and you were all alone?!"

Guilt flew through Yuudai at an alarming rate. "Tell me, Kagome, how do you know if his youkai blood surge?" This time she stood, coming nose to nose with her father with a heated glare.

"I know because I've been there while it's happened. I've also seen the mess it leaves him in afterwards. Inuyasha is my best friend, and I promised to always be by his side, no matter how difficult. If you think for one minute that _you_ -" In one motion she brought a clawed finger up and poked Yuudai's chest angrily "are going to change my trust in Inuyasha after years of being absent from my life you have another thing coming, buddy." Kagome's growl was low as her eyes hardened. She quickly bared her fangs at her father before turning towards the hut entrance.

"Now I'm going to go get Inuyasha and no one is going to stop me. Understood?" Silence met her ears as she huffed, attempting to exit the hut with the intent of following her nose to her companion.

" _Stay_." Down Kagome tumbled again, albeit this time with more force. She angrily turned her glare on Yuudai, her tail flicking with her growing anger. Suddenly, Kagome understood Inuyasha's hate of the beads around his neck.

"Answer me this, honestly, daughter and I will take you to him myself." Yuudai came around to face Kagome, noting the fire blazing in her violet eyes. He was sure that no one dared ever get on her bad side purposely. "What is Inuyasha to you?" He watched as those same violet orbs shot open in surprise and pink dusted her skin. She swallowed and looked down to the ground before answering.

"Like I said, Inuyasha is my best friend. He's pigheaded, stubborn, rude, and super possessive, but at the same time it's understandable why. He's been alone his whole life, without a friend in the world. No one's been there to teach him how to act civilly because anyone he has ever interacted with has shunned him. But even though he's been through all of that, he still has the biggest heart I know, and is kind and caring. He's fiercely protective too. He will always put his pack first. We all look up to him. He's our alpha, and my…" Kagome paused before looking up at her father. She had a small smile on her face, letting one of her canine's peak out from under her lip. Her violet eyes shone brightly as a sort of peace came over her. "I promised to stay by his side for as long as he will have me. I want to see him smile, and laugh. I want him to be happy above all else." Yuudai heard as her heart rate sped up.

"I… I love him. It feels like I've loved him longer than I have been alive." Yuudai smiled gently down at his daughter before removing the beads from around her wrists.

"I will not be able to allow him to go free; he will still have to stand trial, but I believe you, young one. Our village has never encountered raged blood prior to Inuyasha's episode, but you can be a key witness if you have experienced this before." Kagome nodded, understanding the situation. "You may visit for as long as you wish. I will be waiting for you back in my – our – home." The great youkai led his child through the village, weaving between huts towards the center of the village. It amazed Kagome to see so many inu youkai in one place – she had originally thought only Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru remained of their kind. Kagome watched with keen eyes as young black and silver haired children played kemari in the streets, running gleefully after one another. The village women sat in the centre with their sewing as they gossiped away, no doubt waiting for their men to come home after a long days' work. Inu youkai were everywhere, and yet they didn't seem any different than ningen in other villages her and Inuyasha had visited.

Yuudai stopped before a tall gate as two inu bowed low before him – one had piercing teal eyes and sported a scruffy black beard. His hair was cropped short to his skull. Kagome's eyes trailed down his face – from his crookedly shaped nose, across to the scar jutting down his left eye, right down to the sharp cut of his jaw. His armour was dulled with dents and overuse, and even his halberd looked worse for wear. Beside him a much younger soldier – no older than 14 summers – stood at his side. They boy's green eyes had yet to harden from war. His own black hair was left in a spikey mess on top of his head. He had a sword attached to his newly shines armour. Kagome had to stifle a giggle at how excited the boy looked to see someone approach his station. The older of the two seemed to also take notice and jabbed the boy with his elbow.

Yuudai nodded to the two with ease. "Yuudai-sama. To what do we owe the pleasure?" Her father smiled as he looked towards Kagome briefly.

"Kagome would like to visit Raiden-sama's youngest and see how he fairs." Nervous glances exchanged between the two youkai soldiers. Kagome watched as the younger of the two gulped and turned to face his lord.

"My apologies, Yuudai-sama, Kagome-sama." The boy blushed as he looked upon the young hanyou. "But Raiden-sama has forbidden anyone access to see the hanyou until the trial." Kagome growled as her tail bristled. She could hear Inuyasha's voice echo in anger in the distance. Yuudai placed a calm hand on her shoulder, silently urging her to take hold of her emotions.

"Very well. It appears I will have to go find Raiden-sama and have this dealt with. Come, Kagome." Kagome snorted very uncharacteristically before pulling away from Yuudai. As she turned to head back the way they came, Kagome bumped into another youkai and fell from the impact.

"You need not look far, Yuudai." Kagome peered up, trying to gauge just who she would have to yell at now, when she caught the familiar sight of long, silver hair. Hardened golden eyes glanced down at her from behind wavy bangs. Bushy black eyebrows further hid this youkai's molten stare as twin fluffy tails flicked in annoyance behind the tall figure. Twin jagged stripes adorned his cheeks and Kagome gasped as she saw in the centre of his forehead a very familiar crescent moon imprinted into his skin. This man was adorned in brilliantly clean armour that hid his pristine white clothing – the only thing that could be seen were the blue cranes dancing on the sleeves of his haori. Kagome gulped, all anger lost in a moment of awe – she never thought she would ever get the chance to meet this formidable youkai face to face. The only thing the young hanyou could do was raise a finger to point at the elder as her mouth gaped open.

"Y-you're Inuyasha's father…"

* * *

A/N

I know Kagome seems a little OOC at this point, but there is a reason for it! How did you guys find her initial meeting with Yuudai to go? Chapter 7 to come soon!


	7. Bound

A groan sounded as the silver haired hanyou roused from his sleep. Eyes squinted back against the pain racking his body from yesterday's activities. He tried to move, but found his writs to be bound with ties strong enough not even he could break. Golden eyes shimmered in the dark lit chamber the inu-pack were using to hold Inuyasha. He felt sore – surely it would take a while for him to heal, especially without Kagome's medicines from her time.

 _Kagome._

Immediately his eyes shot open as he pulled himself into awareness. After a frantic search of his chamber he could find no trace of the girl. "Kagome!" Echoes rang in his ears, void of any response. Panic welled deep in his chest. If they did anything to her… Inuyasha growled at the thought. "KAGOME! Answer me dammit!"

"Be calm, Inuyasha. Kagome-chan is safe." One of his ears twitched as his eyes followed where he had heard the voice come from. Out of the shadows emerged a young woman Inuyasha thought he would never see again. Short black bangs cut straight across her forehead – her natural part separating them right down the middle. In front of her ears her bangs were longer – chin length – as long straight hair cascaded down her back. Her nose held the same dainty curve it always had and dark plum eyes hidden beneath an obsidian curl of lashes followed his every move. She held the same sad smile he saw countless times in his dreams on those painted lips of hers. Dressed in nothing but the finest of royal robes, Inuyasha watched as she came closer.

"M-Mother?" Tears welled in Izayoi's eyes as she rushed to her son and wrapped her arms tightly across his chest. In that moment he wished nothing more than to have the ties binding his hands removed. His head immediately fell to her shoulder in the only way he could return her hug. The scent of mandarins floated to his nose from her kimono, a scent that was purely Izayoi, and it left tears prickling his eyes.

"You came back… you really came back." Her words were mumbled against the cloth of his haori, even he had to strain his ears to hear them.

"Mother… how? Where are we?" A small smile reached her lips as she pulled back from her son. He could smell the tears in her eyes well before they surfaced.

"You are safe in the village of your birth, my son. Yuudai-kun and his hunting party have brought you and Kagome-chan home." Izayoi quickly shushed the hanyou before her as she watched surprised work its way onto his face at the reminder of his friend. "No harm shall befall Kagome-chan here, Inuyasha. She is with her father under his protection. No soul would dare lay so much as a finger upon her." She raised one of her dainty hands to his cheek as she allowed a single tear to trace its way down her face.

"I have missed you, Inuyasha." Inuyasha rewarded her with a small smile, and was about to respond before another sound hummed to his ears.

A flick of the hanyou's ear drifted muted conversation outside the chamber, followed by what sounded to be a very angry and very familiar voice. The possessiveness and assertiveness in his miko's tone would have normally warranted a smirk, but the wench was stirring up trouble without him there to protect her. Her attitude lately surprised her protector – and left him a little worried. It was true her youki could be the underlying cause… but…

A glance at his mother told him that even she could now hear Kagome's heated tone. He watched as a sigh escaped her, her eyes drifting closed as she prepared herself for the oncoming storm that was his wench.

"I don't _care_ if you were the emperor himself! I'm going in to see Inuy- ah!" He watched on helplessly as Kagome barreled into the room, only to immediately fall to the ground. He watched as her hanyou features receded and she was left gasping for air. Her fingers tried to find purchase in the ground but failed miserably.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha pulled against his restraints as a whine escaped him. Izayoi moved from her place beside her son towards Kagome, placing a delicate hand on the girl's back. Kagome, now completely human, lifted her head from the ground and smiled weakly at her hero. Warm brown eyes met molten gold. Inuyasha watched as a drop of sweat dripped from her brow. Her eyes looked strained, as if she couldn't see him quite as well as she should have been able to.

"Inu…yasha… I'm so glad… that you're…alright." Izayoi rubbed Kagome's back tenderly as the girl groaned.

"Careful, child. Having that much youki drained out of you that quickly will take a toll on your body." Both Izayoi and Inuyasha watched on as Kagome's arms began to shake. "A protective barrier was put up around this hut to ensure no harm would befall Inuyasha before the trial. No one with youki may enter. Unfortunately, we didn't quite account for hanyou."

Kagome was now trying her hardest to stay awake. "My youki…? I'm… human?" She tore her glance back to Inuyasha to confirm. His gaze was hard as he continued to pull at his restraints. Worry flashed through his eyes as his brows furrowed. Had she the energy, she was sure she would have whined herself as she watched his ears flatten to his scalp.

Inuyasha's distress rolled into the room like a tidal wave; from the entrance, Raiden peered his head inside. The older youkai watched with growing concern as Inuyasha grew more anxious the more drained Kagome became in front of him. If they didn't do something soon…

"Izayoi. Release the barrier." Plum orbs flashed towards the door as the princess turned her attention to her husband. Raiden's gaze was hard as she watched him assess the situation, listening carefully to the ropes binding their son begun to fray. Golden suns flashed dangerously as the great daiyoukai saw the internal struggle facing Inuyasha, red vs gold flashed rapidly the more fatigued the girl became. "Izayoi, now!" Pursing her lips together as she bowed her head and closed her eyes, Izayoi began a small chant taught to her by a travelling miko many years ago. Within an instant the barrier around the hut fell and both Raiden and Yuudai flew in.

Raiden rushed to grab his mate as Yuudai grabbed his daughter, their safety the youkais' top priority. Kagome tried to protest with what little strength she had left as they took her farther and farther away from Inuyasha, but it was no use struggling against so much power. Instead, tired eyes watched as Inuyasha broke free, giving chase after his maiden.

Raiden and Izayoi watched on with sad expressions as they were left behind. Once neither being could be seen in the distance, Izayoi huffed and turned an accusatory gaze towards her mate.

"Don't look at me like that, koi. I did try to warn her." The low tenor of Raiden's voice had meant to soothe his wife. Instead, Izayoi huffed.

"You are the daimyo of this village, Raiden. Are you trying to tell me you couldn't stop a halfling child?" Her only response was a chuckle.

* * *

She could feel his anger and concern rippling off of him, calling to her. She reached a hand towards the enraged half-demon behind her and her father, as if trying to let him know she was okay, but it only further seemed to anger him. "P-Papa. Let… let me down. He needs me… Inuyasha… needs…" Yuudai's bark was her only response. Kagome growled weakly. "Trust… me." More silence flew to her ears as her father carried her farther and farther away from the village. Had she been hanyou, she would have snarled.

Inuyasha was gaining on them quickly. Red, murderous eyes glinted in the sun as he pursued his prey. Kagome's heart ached for her hanyou, knowing he only changed during dire situations. Sitting him in this instance probably wouldn't do any good – he changed because she had been in trouble, allowing herself to get farther away would most likely have the opposite effect. It looked like she was left with only one option. Grabbing Yuudai's shirt, Kagome focused on her reiki, allowing just enough to pass through her hands to make the youkai drop her. The dark youkai yelped as the spiritual power crackled against his youki.

It worked like a charm.

Yuudai let go of her instantly, allowing her to fall to the ground. Slowly, she began to crawl towards the crazed hanyou, listening as Yuudai called her name, begged her run from her half-demon. She watched as Inuyasha himself slowed to a walk, his eyes focused on her as a snarl left his throat. Kagome froze as her eyes dropped from his. He stalked towards her, a growl low in his throat as he watched the male opposite his woman get into a position to come to the female's aide. His female smelled wrong – weaker than she normally did – and he knew it had something to do with the chamber they had been holding him. They had hurt her. They had hurt the woman his blood swore to protect.

Kagome made an effort to stand, holding her head high as she lifted her chin, exposing her neck. Inuyasha had taught her this after the last time he had turned – by leaving herself vulnerable she was showing him she was no threat. Inuyasha's eyes flashed; the woman looked so tired – her lids drooped halfway down her irises and dark circles were starting to form. He watched as she swayed slightly as she stood, unable to keep her balance properly. He approached her swiftly, too fast for her own human eyes, and began to sniff her neck.

Kagome blushed darkly; under normal circumstances there would be no way he would get this close or intimate with her. A couple of whiffs was all he needed to discern that the girl meant no threat to him. In fact, she smelled absolutely delectable. He could smell a lot of his lesser being's scent on the girl before him, and it left him with one question taking over his every thought - How had the half-breed not taken her for himself already?

Yuudai watched on with interest. The boy made no move to harm Kagome – in fact; it appeared he had been concerned for her safety in this wild state. He watched with curious violet eyes as Inuyasha licked her chin and rumbled contentedly before pulled her to him. It appeared Kagome had been right after all – the boy meant her no harm.

Inuyasha held the girl tight in his embrace, noticing no trace of fear or anger rolling off of her scent. This pleased the youkai immensely; it appeared the girl accepted him, and was growing the stronger the longer she stood in his presence. She would be a wise choice as a mate – even if she were human at the moment.

"Safe." The youkai growled out, his tongue trying to work its way around his elongate fangs. It caused Kagome to peer up at his face. It still held those violet stripes and blood red eyes, but there was a protectiveness she had never seen from this side of him before. She tentatively reached her palm up to his cheek, smiling slightly when his head tilted into her hand. She watched as his eyes closed and his muscles relaxed. She ran her thumb across his cheek, outlining his stripes.

"Yes, Inuyasha, we're safe." He rumbled against her as he once again lowered his face to her neck. Instinctively, she moved her palm to the back of his head and raised her other arm to encircle what she could of his back. She could feel him licking and sniffing at her collarbone, leaving Kagome to wonder just what on earth he was thinking of.

From a distance, Yuudai relaxed his posture. Inuyasha was not acting as an enraged beast, but as a mate would his chosen. He watched as Kagome cuddled the hanyou further, not showing a single ounce of the fear anyone else would feel if being held captive by a predator.

"Inuyasha, you have to change back now." She whispered into his ear as she smoothed his hair, wanting to further soothe his youki. The boy growled against her neck and tightened his hold on the young miko. Why did she want him to change? He was stronger this way – he could protect her better than his mixed blood ever could.

"No." Kagome frowned.

"We need to go back to the village and prove your innocence. We can't stay out here all night, ba-ka." The youkai in her arms snorted, clearly unimpressed. He had to admit though, the way she insulted him with that sing-song voice of hers made it almost seem like a compliment.

He nearly whimpered when she pulled herself away from him. He watched her with a careful eye as she frowned, crossing her arms just under her chest. Her eyes bore into his with a fire that could only be matched by his own. His ears reflexively folded against his scalp as she opened her mouth.

"Inuyasha, osu-"

One of Inuyasha's ears flicked away from her attention, and in a split second Kagome's command was cut of abruptly as the hanyou-turned-youkai grabbed her and bolted from the clearing, leaving a stunned Yuudai behind. Sure, the man smelled like this woman, but his instincts told him not to trust the elder. Kagome clung to him as he moved with the speed of a bullet train through the trees. Below, the young miko could see a swarm of inu youkai circle the field. Inuyasha snarled, his eyes turning murderously towards the group below. Kagome's grip tightened on the half demon.

"Don't." Her plea gave him a moment's pause, remembering his wench was in a weakened state at the moment. He would be an irresponsible mate if he left her alone as a human. Giving Kagome a quick nuzzle, Inuyasha took off once more in an attempt to find shelter for them for the night.

Some things were more important than bloodshed.

* * *

A/N

Chapter 7 is done! I wanted to explore Inuyasha's youkai side a bit, and this chapter is meant to give way to that. What did everyone think of Izayoi? Raiden? More to come shortly, and as always, thank you for your reviews!


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